Loving Revenge
by ShadowManipulator7
Summary: No, I'm not a Devil Fruit user. No, I'm not like other girls. No, I'm not going to tell you my life's history. But, yes, I am in love with him, the marimo of the Straw Hat Pirates. OCxZoro, OCxUsopp, LuffyxNami - contains swearing, vulgar language, blood, fighting, and adolescent awkwardness. '-.-'
1. Chapter 1

[AU: I feel awful for writing this when I'm still not done with four other unfinished fanfictions of mine, but I've had this story in mind for a while and just had to write it out. I'm probably not going to be finishing it too soon, so it'll be an ongoing story, just 'cause I have work to do, other stories to finish, and I'm still reading/watching One Piece, just so it's all legit and stuff. **Kori Eternus**, my OC in this story, belongs to me, so nobody is allowed to steal her. I'm going to be using her in my original works in the future. Kori was already born into the world of OP, so she didn't just magically appear there like in other fanfic stories. Thank you and read on.]

**[AU: I haven't updated this story in almost a year, so as I'm reading through it again, I realized that there were a lot of errors … So! I'm going to be reposting the first 7 chapters and then put up the rest of the story soon! A billion apologizes to the followers (who are all probably just as impatient about this story as I am), but I've been watching and reading more One Piece, so now I'm planning out the rest of the story and the sequels. That's right, I said SEQUELS! Hahahahahahaha! … Okay, arigato!]**

[This chapter has been revised.]

Loving Revenge

Kori's POV:

_What the hell am I doing here?_ I thought bitterly as I watched the pirate crew gallivanting around, enjoying themselves as they followed the orders of their deranged immortal captain. _By that 'deranged immortal captain' I assume you already know that I'm talking about Pirate Captain Buggy the Clown, otherwise known as Buggy the Immortal because of his unique Devil Fruit ability. If you didn't know that already, then you really need to read the paper sometime._

Apparently I wasn't allowed to simply walk through this abandoned town without having pirates capture me and lock me in a ridiculous cage. _What did I ever do to them? I was just trying to find food, a shower, and a place to crash for the night, but no! I had to meet up with this baka of a captain instead. I just hoped he didn't recognize me. He had stared at me for a long while before ordering his crew to throw me into a small cage just near the edge of the tavern roof they were currently using as a hideout._

And so now here I am, trapped in this prison - _not even a prison, more like a lunchbox!_ - without even a glance in my direction from the crew members. I grew tired of their negligence and began to devise an escape plan in my head. _If I could simply find a distraction for just a few minutes then I'd be able to make my grand escape. But since Buggy seems to be keeping a close eye on me, how am I supposed to do that?_

It seems my prayers - _okay, not prayers, but work with me here_ - were answered when three of Buggy's crew members burst through the rooftop doors, shaking in their boots as they confronted their Captain about something. I only managed to hear a few things they said before the insane clown began shouting at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT!? YOU LET THAT THIEF GET AWAY!? YOU'RE TELLING ME A LITTLE TART OUTRAN THREE OF MY BEST MEN!?" Captain Buggy yelled at the top of his lungs, his anger practically pulsating from his very being.

"A thousand pardons, Cap'n Buggy!" The crew members said in their defense. "But her boss, the guy in the straw hat, was really strong!"

"FOR THIS YOU DIE!" Buggy shouted.

_Those poor, unfortunate bastards. But I would've done the same thing if they had failed me over something as huge as letting a thief get away. Well, maybe not, but whatever the thief stole must have been pretty valuable for that clown to go down on his own crew members like that._

However, whatever punishment the three men would've received came to a halt as another crew member interrupted. "Cap'n Buggy! It's the map-stealer - she just walked in the door."

"Good! Bring her here!" Buggy replied, slouching in his chair further.

They opened the doors to the rooftop to reveal a young girl carrying a tied up boy in a straw hat. The girl had big brown eyes, short orange hair, and a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. She wore a simple T-shirt, yellow skirt, and a pair of shiny brown boots. The boy wore a red vest, blue jeans, sandals, and, as I already said, an old straw hat. He had scruffy black hair and what looked to be a stitched scar under his left eye. I began to wonder what these commoners were doing here until the girl held up what looked to be a map.

The girl then spoke up, keeping her smile on her face. "Captain Buggy! I've captured the thief! And here's your map!"

The boy squirmed around a bit on the ground before getting a good look at the girl who had dropped him, sending her an evil glare. "Hey! You tricked me!"

She merely stuck her tongue out in response.

I looked back at Buggy, who now wore a twisted grin on his face in replace of his ugly scowl. He chuckled before sneering at the girl with the map. "Hmmm . . .you're returning the map? What's this all about?"

The girl's smile brightened even more. "I had a dispute with my employer! He's an idiot, so I thought I'd join up with you! I'm Nami the Cat Burglar!"

Buggy's expression was torn between confused and baffled, I couldn't tell which. _Obviously this chick was out of her mind if she wanted to join up with this baka of a clown! No way is she sane!_ However, it seemed that Buggy believed every word she said because not even one minute later they were all celebrating their new crew member. Buggy handed her a mug of rum and let the pirates all dance and sing together while enjoying food and alcohol.

_I am surrounded by gullible bakas …_

I glowered at Buggy while he wasn't looking until a strange sound made me look up. I saw the boy with in the straw hat locked in a similar cage next to mine, his torso tied up securely while trying to gnaw his way out of the cell. I almost snickered at his silly antics, but thought better of it, remaining serious in the current situation.

"You're just going to break your teeth if you keep that up." I said to the boy.

He stopped gnawing on the bars and looked over at me. He took in my appearance, then glared at me. "I know, but I'm just so hungry! I want to get out and eat something!"

"Well, if you do get out, then get me something to eat, too." I sighed. My stomach growled loudly, emphasizing my point.

"If you're so hungry, then why haven't you eaten?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Because I've been sailing day and night without hitting any islands along with way and forgot to pack some food." I replied. I shifted in my ropes uncomfortably before settling back down. _I really need to get out of here._

"You've been sailing on the seas? Are you a pirate, too?" He grinned at me - _a freakishly big grin, might I add_ - and chuckled. "If you are a pirate, you wanna' join my crew?"

I glanced sideways at him, raising an eyebrow at his sudden perkiness."I don't know you and have no reason to become a pirate. Besides, what kind of pirate gets himself captured by an enemy crew like the Buggy Clowns?"

He shrugged. "You tell me since you got captured, too."

"I didn't do shit to get myself captured!" I replied harshly. I was getting really irritated with this guy. "I'm just trying to find my way back home and as far away from those horrible Marines as I possibly can!"

The boy laughed, still grinning. "What's your name?"

I sighed. "Kori Eternus."

His grin grew. "Well, Kori, I like your attitude! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, pirate captain! If we get out of this, you wanna' join my pirate crew?"

"Always with the crew offers, huh?" I sighed. "Look, Luffy, I'm not interested. I fly solo, got it? I'd just be getting you into even more trouble if you associated with me, so do the smart thing and just leave me be, alright?"

Luffy gave me a blank look, his grin disappearing. "I don't take no for an answer. I want you to be my nakama."

I rolled my eyes, but stopped when I realized something. I had the perfect opportunity to escape right now while all these numbskulls were partying it up. I took in a deep breath, pleased about the current situation, then proceeded to free myself from these cursed ropes.

_Shadow Melt …_

I closed my eyes, feeling the dark shadows around me move. I focused on detangling the ropes as Luffy continued to pester me.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Shhhh!" I opened one eye to glare at him. "I'm going to escape from here."

"Oh." He replied. He looked behind me back and I knew he saw the dark energy surrounding me, slowly pulling away the ropes. His eyes widened as he gaped at me. "Sugoi! Do you have a Devil Fruit ability, too?"

"No." I said. "It's just my power." He cocked an eyebrow at me again and I just shook my head. "I'll explain it later, but right now just shut up!"

Luffy was about to say something when Nami knelt by his cage. "How ya' doin', boss?" She said with the same nasty smile she had on before. She didn't even glance my way as she spoke only to her old 'boss'.

Luffy turned his eyes to her. "Get me outta' here! And get me something to eat! I'm starving!" Nami seemed to have food already with her and dropped a chicken leg in front of him. He ate it greedily - bone and all - and smiled. "You're not so bad. Maybe I'll let you join my crew after all!" He said in between bites.

"Never!" Nami yelled. "Don't you realize what's going to happen to you? They'll probably sell you off somewhere, along with that girl over there." She pointed to me while I simply sneered at her. _Oh, sure, now she notices me._ "But hey, if my plans work, maybe I'll give you guys the key to the cages. Really, you don't seem so bad . . .for a pirate."

"Then let me out of here now!" Luffy shouted.

Suddenly, Buggy came out of nowhere and started laughing, holding a mug of alcohol in his hands. "You picked the wrong partner, little thief!" _Could this guy be any louder?_

"Partner? She's not my partner!" Luffy retorted, huffing his shoulders.

"Not anymore, eh? Can't say I blame you! She betrayed you, after all! Ha! The punishment for trying to steal my treasure is severe! I've already decided what your fate shall be!" Buggy said as he took a sip from his mug.

"Are you going to let me go?" Luffy said blankly. _This kid is something else, that's for sure._

Buggy smirked. "That's right, I'm going to let you go . . .Of course I'm not going to let you go!" He turned back to his nakama and hefted his mug in the air. "Load the special Buggy Balls! Now for a demonstration of power!"

_Ugh!_ I mentally screamed to myself as I watched the scene unfold. _I hate cannons! They're too damn loud!_

Buggy's crewmen loaded a giant cannonball with his ships Jolly Rodger painted on it into the cannon that was stationed in the corner of the rooftop. They pointed it towards a column of houses next to us and fired. As soon as that shot fired, the cannonball flew straight through the row of houses as easily as cutting butter with a spoon. The empty buildings all fell over like Janga blocks, nothing but debris remaining from our location to the end of the line of houses.

Even though I've seen shit like that go down before, I had to admit that it was still very impressive how a single cannonball could do so much damage in under a minute. I had to hand it to Buggy, he was powerful, but not as intimidating as he thought he was. However, Nami seemed to tremble at the sight of the decay while Luffy seemed unfazed by the occurrence. I could tell they were doubting their chances of getting free from Buggy now.

Buggy and his crew all applauded the beautiful sight of their destruction. "Breathtaking! That would have leveled for a smaller town! With these Buggy Balls - and the special powers I got from eating the Devil Fruit - I'll rule the Grand Line!" Buggy shouted in triumph.

_I didn't think it was possible, but this guy's ego was as big as his silly, red rubber nose . . .And that's just sad . . ._

"Now it's your turn, girlie!" Buggy continued, turning to Nami with that same evil grin on his face. "Prove your loyalty by blowing your former boss into mincemeat with this Buggy Ball!" He then pointed the cannon over towards Luffy's cage. _Unfortunately, I was also in the line of shot - crud._ "Show me you're ruthless enough to help me take over the world! Kill your former boss!"

I glanced at Luffy, who sat perfectly still, not blinking, not saying a word. He stared at the backstabbing girl expectantly and just waited as she stuttered.

"You want me to . . .k-kill him? Th-that's okay, Captain Buggy . . .I don't need to do that . . .Hey, let's just drink some more instead!? Let's forget about that loser!" She smiled brightly, beads of sweat slinking down her forehead as she tried to reason with her new captain.

Buggy wasn't having any of it though. He looked at her with a dead serious expression. If looks could kill, Nami, along with her departed soul, would have died five times over repeatedly. Buggy's voice was low and commanding. "DO IT."

Of course the cheerful remarks from the rest of the crew didn't help Nami either as she continued to sweat bullets. "Do it! Now! Blow him to pieces! Blast him! Blast him! Blow him apart! Do it! Blow him to pieces! Blast him! Do it! Blow 'im to pieces!"

I began to wonder if she was really going to obey Buggy or not, but my train of thought was derailed when I felt my cage being roughly moved by a tough looking pirate member. My cage was then dragged over just far away enough so I wouldn't get hit by the cannon ball. I looked at Buggy as he smirked at me. "I'll deal with you in just a moment, girlie."

He turned his attention back to Nami, who was still shaking in her boots. "NAMI! Stop stalling and light the cannon!" I could tell he noticed how she shook, the box of matches rattling in her hands. "Your hands are shaking."

I then heard Luffy chuckle. "That's what you get for going up against pirates unprepared!"

"Unprepared!?" Nami shrieked. "You mean not being prepared to kill someone like it's nothing? Is that what 'prepared' means to a pirate?"

"No." Luffy replied bluntly. "It means being prepared to risk your own life!"

I would have applauded Luffy for his amazing words of wisdom if I hadn't tried to look still tied up. The ropes had fallen away long ago and were now hanging loosely around my chest. I just hoped Buggy hadn't realized that I was getting ready to escape. But I had to admit that I was really enjoying the show between the straw hat boy and the girl thief. _I wonder what their personal relationship is?_

One of the Buggy Pirates grew tired of Nami's stalling and snatched the matchbox away from her. "What'sa matter, new girl?! Don't ya' know how to fire a cannon?" Nami stealthily reached for something on her thigh. "It's easy. Just put the flame to the fuse, and-" Nami then smacked the pirate upside the head with a bo-staff.

_Smart girl_, I thought.

Everyone - _literally, everyone_ - froze as the pirate went down. Cold silence fell over the tavern rooftop until Buggy started yelling - again. "TRAITOR! AND AFTER I WELCOMED YOU INTO MY CREW!"

Luffy grinned again. "Whoa, are you going to save me after all?"

Nami held her bo-staff in front of her in defense, getting ready to fight against the now angry crew members. "Don't be stupid!" She screamed at Luffy. "I just got carried away . . .I just don't want to become a low-down murderer like all of you! You pirates took someone dear to me . . .I'LL NEVER BECOME WHAT I HATE!"

I felt a small pang in the bottom of my gut at hearing her words. _Don't worry, Nami, you're not alone on that one . . ._

"Oh . . .so that's why you hate pirates." Luffy murmured. I almost laughed when he realized that the cannon was still lit and began to gnaw his way out of the bars again. "Uh-oh! I'm gonna' die!"

"Little girl, you tried to make a fool of me! FOR THAT YOU DIE!" Buggy screamed at Nami, and his crew immediately began to charge her, their weapons swinging high in the air around them. Nami fought back, missing the target most of the time. She looked back to the cannon and, from what I could tell, grabbed hold of the lit fuse. _Ouch, that' gotta' hurt, but whatever floats her boat._ However, her only stupid mistake was that she hadn't been watching the pirates around her as they decided to take the opportunity to use her defenselessness to their advantage.

_That's dirty pool . . ._

She was about to get creamed when - _literally _- out of fucking nowhere, a man with three katanas showed up, stopping the pirates in their tracks. "How many pirates does it take to handle one girl?" He said in a mocking tone to the Buggy Pirate Crew.

Luffy seemed to know him, though. "Zoro!" It seemed the pirates knew him, too, as they all cowered in fear, calling him Pirate Hunter Zoro. "I'm okay. Phew! I'm glad you found me! Now get me outta' here!"

"Always goofing around . . .first you fly off with a bird, and now you're playing in some cage. Baka!" Zoro responded, leaning on one of his three swords on his shoulder. He had short green hair and tan skin, three gold rings dangling from his left ear. He wore a white shirt, black pants, black boots, and a green haramaki tied around his waist. A black bandana was wrapped around his left bicep, probably there for easy use when he fights. _Yep, he's definitely a swordsman._

I decided that now would be a good time to make my escape while the pirates were all focused on Nami the traitor. I slipped the ropes off, circling them around my black boots in case I needed it again, and grabbed hold of the cage bars. I focused again, allowing the shadows surround the cage engulf me in darkness.

_Shadow Melt …_

I released a breath as the bars melted carefully under my grasp, hot liquid dripped onto my pale fingers. The steaming heat of the bars soon dissipated and I opened my eyes to see that the bars had vanished. I managed to crawl through the new hole in the cage, crouching low so the pirates wouldn't see me as I snuck away.

"Oi, Kori!" I turned to see Luffy glaring at me. "Can you at least get me outta' here, too?!"

That was all it took for the entire pirate crew to draw their attention from the swordsman to me. Buggy sent his masochistic grin my way, growling as he spoke. "And where do you think you're going, little girl?"

"Fuck, thanks Luffy!" I spat, trying to keep calm in the present situation. I turned back to Buggy, who had begun to saunter over towards me. I was then forced to circle around him and somehow ended up near the pirate hunter guy and the thief near the cannon. _Shit, now I'm trapped in the middle with these weirdos._

Buggy smirked at the green-haired swordsman. "So, you're Roronoa Zoro, eh? You must have come to capture me!" Big head.

"I gave up pirate hunting." Zoro responded. "I have no interest in you."

"Well, I am interested in you. Killing you will be a nice feather in my cap." He pulled out several long daggers, twirling them between his fingers. If he thought that those puny knives were going to work against a swordsman who clearly practiced Santoryu, then he had another thing coming. _However, they don't call him Buggy the Immortal for nothing . . ._

_Shit, this is gonna' get messy._

In a flash, Zoro had cut Buggy into three pieces without even a drop of blood staining the ground. I stared, wondering what little trick Buggy would have up his sleeve if he had been 'cut down' that easily. The others seemed to voice my opinion as the Buggy clowns just began to chuckle. I snapped back to reality when I heard my name being called.

"Kori!" Luffy screamed from the cage. Zoro leaned over him, muttering something as he glanced me over. "Can you get the cage open?"

I sighed, but walked over. "Yeah, sure, why not." I took a deep breath as I gripped the bars in my grasp once again. I heard Zoro question what I was about to do, but I merely huffed in response. I looked at Luffy seriously. "You're gonna' want to lean back, trust me." I then began to melt cage bars with the dark magic around me.

_Shadow Melt …_

I was only half done with my work when I heard Luffy mutter something. "Those guys are kinda' creepy." Obviously he was talking about the freakish jokers who were all laughing their asses off, and I knew it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.

My assumption was correct when I heard a very loud grunt next to me. Zoro dropped to his knees, a knife plunged straight through his stomach. The Buggy Pirates all continued to laugh as the hand that stabbed Zoro floated in midair. Unfortunately, since I had also let my guard down trying to open up the cage for Luffy, I then felt pain in my lower middle. I looked down to see a similar knife plunged straight through my stomach as well.

"Zoro!? Kori!?" Luffy shouted in panic. My hands dropped from the bars and landed on my open wound. I heard Buggy laughing behind us, most likely putting himself back together again, and then began to monologue.

"The Chop-Chop Fruit! That's the Devil Fruit that I ate! You can slice and dice me, but you can't kill me! I'm a Chop-Chop man! Roronoa Zoro, you never had a chance! Looks like I missed your vitals, but you still took a serious wound!" He snickered and looked at me. "I told you I'd get you back, ya' little twerp! And I finally remembered who you are! Kori the Pariah!"

Silence fell on the rooftop for merely a moment before the entire Buggy crew - minus Buggy himself - began to shriek in terror. Urgent whispers soon found their way through the crowd of outlaws as the men gazed at me in horror. "Kori the Pariah! The rouge girl who blew up that Marine base?" More nonsense gossip was passed around about my reputation, but I soon tuned them out. I had already heard the rumours that circulated around the world about my dangerous past, so why bother hearing about it again?

I turned back to Buggy and growled at him. "That's not my name, ya' fucking big nose!"

Buggy's face grew dark as everyone around us shrieked in surprise. Next thing I knew Buggy was charging at me with the same knife he used to stab me with. "YOU DARE TO CALL ME 'BIG NOSE'!?" It flew at me with incredible speed, but I was faster and managed to jump out of the way just in time. I forgot that Luffy was behind me, though, so the knife had hit him instead. _Shit, now I feel bad . . ._

I heard a crack and looked up to see Luffy holding the knife in his mouth, snapping it in two. "I swear . . .I'm gonna' kick your ass!"

Buggy just seemed amused by his antics. "Heh heh, kick my ass?" He roared with laughter. "Don't you make me laugh! You four are about to die!"

"How did I get mixed up with you guys?" I murmured. "I'm not even in your stupid crew."

Luffy laughed hysterically. "No way! I'm not gonna' die!"

"And just how do you intend to kick my ass now? Ain't that a laugh, boys?" Buggy boasted as the entire group of clowns broke down laughing.

"Zoro! Nami! Kori!" I twitched, annoyed with Luffy's loud, screaming voice. "RUN!"

"WHAT?" Nami shrieked. "I'm not going anywhere! We're trying to save you! They'll kill you the moment we go!" _Leave it to Nami to say the wrong thing._

So, it seemed only Zoro and I got what the straw hat kid was trying to say. "Gotcha'." Zoro replied, then proceeded to shift the cannon away from us. Nami stood her ground, shocked at what he was doing. He managed to push the cannon completely over to the other side, so it was facing the clown pirates. They all immediately started flipping out. "THE BIG CANNON'S POINTED AT US! AND IT'S LOADED WITH ONE OF THE BUGGY BALLS!"

Zoro turned to Nami. "Light this thing!" She nodded, picking the matchbox back up and hastily lighted lit the fuse. _The cannon was then fully able to blow those bastards to smithereens! _After a minute the cannon blew up, along with the Buggy Pirates, I hoped.

Zoro ran over to where we were - _'we' being Luffy, Nami, and I_ - and panted in exhaustion. "Now's your chance to escape." He paused, staring at me and Nami. "Who are you guys, anyway?"

"I'm . . .a thief." Nami replied sheepishly.

"Kori." Was all I said.

"Actually . . .they're our new nakama!" Luffy said boldly, that freakishly big grin once again adorning his baby face.

Nami totally spazzed out. "What are you talking about!? Are you crazy? And shouldn't you be trying to get out of that cage?" _Apparently she didn't want the job, either._

"Oh, yeah. Maybe you're right . . .Kori?" He gave me those lame pleading eyes of his. "A little help?"

I snorted. "Later. Right now we gotta' get outta' here, so you just stay in the cage." I heard Zoro walk up behind me as he tried to pick up the cage. I quickly kicked him in the leg, forcing him to drop the cage on the ground.

"What'd you do that for?!" He snarled at me, gripping his leg.

I shook my head. "You're injured, so don't exert yourself. You may need your strength later." I crouched near the cage again.

"You're injured, too!" He retorted angrily. "So it wouldn't make any difference!"

_If I wasn't mad before, I was now_. I gave him my best basilisk glare. "I do things my own way, so don't give me any lip about it!" I then easily picked up Luffy's cage and slung it over my shoulder. Luffy was yelling at me to stop, but Zoro and Nami just gawked at me in surprise.

"How can you do that?!" Nami shrieked.

"Let's go!" I shouted as soon as I heard the pirates shifting around behind us. We all jumped over the edge of the tavern rooftop silently and disappeared out of sight.

TO BE CONTINUED

**[AU: I made a few grammar and punctuation changes, as well as adding her fighting techniques.]**

[AU: I know Zoro was supposed to carry the cage at the end, but I wanted Kori to show her strength in this chapter, just to get her character started and stuff. I'll update the next chapter whenever I can, as I already explained in the pre-note. I wanted to get this story started just a bit after the beginning so Kori would be able to feel more comfortable in the Straw Hat Crew, just 'cause she's not really comfortable with people in general. I'll describe more about her later on, don't worry, and I'll make sure this story stays cannon. Please review, read more, favourite the story, anything! It would be most appreciated! Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	2. Chapter 2

[AU: Here's the second chapter to my OP fanfic story. You'll learn more about Kori in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy that. Also, on my DeviantART account I uploaded a picture of what Kori looks like in the story, so check that out and you can find a link to that on my fanfiction profile. Eventually I'm going to be adding a second OC into this story, but that'll be later. Thank you and read on.]

**[AU: As I said before, I'm re-updating all the chapters and will hopefully be finishing this story soon. There will soon be more one-shots, side stories, and a sequel. Arigato!]**

[This chapter has been revised.]

The four of us had traveled halfway through town until we finally decided that we were safe enough to actually stop and rest. Nami had disappeared down an alley along the way, saying that she didn't want to be associated with pirates any longer. So that just left Luffy, Zoro, and myself hiding from Buggy in the middle of town. I had been carrying Luffy - who was still in his cage - for quite some time before I finally began to give out. Considering I hadn't eaten a decent meal in a couple days, and to the fact that I had been stabbed in the abdomen by that freakish joker earlier, my strength was really beginning to wear out. Deciding not to push myself too hard, I dropped the cage - along with Luffy inside it - on the ground and fell to my knees, panting heavily.

"That's what you get for exerting yourself." I heard Zoro mutter.

"Go to hell." I huffed darkly at him.

_Not like my wound will matter soon anyways_. I glanced down at the cut on my stomach and noticed that what was once a large gash had now turned into nothing more than a mere scratch. The dark energy that ran through my veins always kept my health up, so every time I got injured my body's cells slowly regenerated and healed any fresh scars I may have gotten. I gave up trying to explain it to people since I didn't fully understand it myself. _I'm a freak and apparently that's how it's going to be for the rest of my life._

As the street grew quiet once more, I noticed something rather peculiar . . . There was a dog just randomly standing in front of us. He didn't do anything; didn't bark, didn't blink, I wasn't even sure if he was breathing. I was definitely confused about this dog showing up out of nowhere, but decided to ignore it and sat upright.

Having noticed that dog as well, Luffy began to poke the animal on the head. "Is it real? It's not moving . . .maybe it's dead."

Zoro had sat down, too, leaning against the porch from the building that we had stopped in front of. "I don't give a damn about that dog. Our business is to get out of here." He then turned to me, his expression very unfriendly at the moment since he was so tired. "You coming with us or not, spooky chick?"

I was about to reply to his very rude question when Luffy began screaming. I looked over and saw that the dog - _who appeared to be alive after all_ - was currently trying to bite Luffy's face off. _That's what he gets for poking it in the head, though_. He kept screaming at the mutt to let him go, but the dog just held on, in which Zoro then had to help him out. I rolled my eyes at the two of them as they collapsed from exhaustion when the dog finally let go of Luffy.

"Damn dog!" They muttered.

"Look at you three. Not to criticize, but is the middle of the street really the best hiding place you could come up with?" We all looked up to see Nami standing a few feet away, shaking her head in disappointment as she studied each of us.

Luffy smiled. "Hey! It's our navigator!"

"I never agreed to that!" Nami shrieked. _Can this girl be any louder?_ Her voice dropped as she calmed down once more. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me . . ." She then dropped a gold key in front of us.

"The key! You stole the key to the cage!" Luffy said with excitement, smiling brightly up at Nami.

She sighed. "Yeah, sure . . .I got the stupid key, but I left the map and all the treasure." She looked very disappointed in her loss. _Well, treasure is the greatest thing to a thief, so I see why she's upset._

Luffy was about to reach for the key to unlock himself from his cage when the dog licked it up in his mouth and swallowed it whole. Everything went still for a good five seconds . . .until Luffy finally spazzed out.

"COUGH IT UP!" He screamed at the poor dog harshly. He grabbed the mutt by it's neck and started choking it, trying to get it to hack the key back up. "THAT'S NOT FOOD! GIMME' THAT KEY!"

I sat up, immediately trying to free the dog from Luffy's threatening grasp. _There was no way I'm gonna' let anyone hurt an animal, it's just not right!_ I ignored the jutting sting in my stomach as I tried to get the dog away from Luffy's hold. We spent the next few moments having a tug-a-war between the dog, neither one really succeeding, until a voice from behind forced us to stop. All four of us turned around to see some old guy standing not too far away, his expression completely livid.

"Damn whipper-snappers! Don't you pick on poor ol' Chou-Chou!" The old man said. He had insanely fluffy grey hair and wore glasses, and he seemed to be wearing some type of body armor, if you could call it that, while carrying a spear on his back. Underneath the so-called armor he wore plain pants and a yellow striped shirt with boots. All together, he looked ridiculous.

Luffy and I dropped the dog - _excuse me, Chou-Chou_ - both of us too stunned to continue our tug-a-war contest any longer. The dog still growled at us and moved to sit back in front of the building in his original pose from before.

"Who're you, old timer?" Zoro asked, looking somewhat confused.

The old man stood up straight, proud for whatever reason. "Who am I? I'm the mayor of this town, that's who!"

"I was beginning to wonder if there was anybody in this godforsaken town." I mused quietly.

The mayor, Boodle his name was - _what the hell kinda' name is that?_ - gazed at all of us individually, taking in our appearances and our current situation right now. Two of us were injured and one was locked up in a cage . . .he probably thought we were pathetic. Boodle pointed to Zoro and sent him to sleep in a nearby building - _his house apparently_ - so that he could rest. He then looked at me and ordered me to follow, too, but I declined. I insisted that my wounds weren't too severe, so I would be okay. Boodle looked unsure, but decided to leave me alone nonetheless.

"The dog's name is Chou-Chou?" Luffy asked when Zoro had disappeared into the house down the street. The straw hat boy glanced at the dog curiously. "Why's he the only one left in town?"

Boodle looked down at Chou-Chou, who was now munching on some dog food the mayor had brought for him. "He's guarding the shop! I just came to feed him."

"Oh, so he's a guard dog!" Nami said. "For a pet food store."

Boodle nodded. "A good friend of mine owned this store." He began. _Oh great, here comes the long-ass sob story . . ._ "About ten years ago . . .he and Chou-Chou opened this little shop. They've got a lot of memories here, and so do I." He pointed at the dog. "See those wounds? He's been fighting the pirates, protecting his store."

Nami looked somewhat offended. "I'm sure this shop means a lot to his master, but this is just cruel. Is he at the refugee shelter with the others?" I had to admit, she had a good point.

Boodle kept his eyes on the ground as he continued. "No, he's not . . .he got sick and passed on. He went to the hospital three months ago and didn't return."

I frowned. "The poor thing . . .you mean he's been waiting for his master this whole time?"

The mayor nodded. "That's what everybody says, but that's not what I think. Chou-Chou's a smart dog. I think he knows his master is dead."

"Then why does he still guard the store?" Nami asked.

"It's his treasure." Boodle replied bluntly. "And I think that Chou-Chou still guards the store because it's all that's left of his beloved master. I've been trying to get him to the shelter, but he won't budge from this spot. He'd rather starve to death than leave his post."

We all sat in silence for a few moments. I took this time to smile sympathetically at Chou-Chou, admiring his bravery and love for his master. _If only everyone could be like that . . ._

Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar echoed through the deserted streets around us. Boodle and Nami freaked out and high-tailed it off the road, running away like cowards. I shook my head, looking at Luffy. "They're wimps."

Luffy nodded in agreement. He then turned to the dog and sighed. "Something's coming this way! Give me that key, dog!" Chou-Chou merely woofed in response, refusing to follow his orders.

We heard huge pounding noises making our way over towards us. _Probably the source of that extremely loud roar from a minute ago._ I glanced up to see a giant, ferocious lion standing over us, his hot breath blowing in our direction and dripping with saliva. I noticed a man - _who freakishly resembled a cat_ - sat atop the monstrous lion, looking very content and in control of the wild beast. He looked down at us and smirked.

"Well, what have we here?" He said. "I'm Mohji, Buggy's first mate. They call me the lion tamer." He laughed as he recognized the both of us. "Looks like your friends abandoned you, and after all that effort to get you this far." The large feline padded closer to us, up to the point where I could smell his meat-scented breath. "Captain Buggy is pretty worked up. You guys stirred up a real hornets' nest."

Luffy, being the baka that he is, didn't seem to take the giant lion as a threat and, of course, said the wrong thing. "Hey, what's with the weird costume?"

"NANI?!" Mohji yelled in anger. "COSTUME? THIS IS MY HAIR!"

"That just makes it weirder." I mumbled.

"SHUT UP!" He took a breath and calmed down. "Maybe you think you're safe in that cage. If so, then you really don't know who I am. There's not an animal alive that I can't control. I can even control that mutt." He pointed to Chou-Chou, then tried to get him to do a simple dog trick. But instead of shaking, Chou-Chou sunk his teeth into the lion trainers arm. Luffy began laughing at the foolish scene, but I didn't find it quite as humourous.

Mohji was clearly pissed off now. "You're just a nobody thief . . .you're nothing to me. Now tell me where Roronoa Zoro is." He said in the darkest tone that he could pull off. The lion then growled in agreement with his master.

"NO!" Luffy yelled in response.

"THEN DIE!" Mohji yelled back. "GET HIM, RICHIE!" I swiftly moved away from Luffy's cage as the ferocious feline pounced on him, tearing the bars apart with it's razor-sharp teeth. In a matter of seconds, the cage had been torn apart, but Luffy had also been set free. _Didn't think that through, did you, Richie?_

However, the moment Luffy tried to run away Mohji kicked him in the face, hard enough to send him flying into the house across the street. The house then began to crumble from the force of the impact, and I was sure that straw hat kid was gone now. Mohji laughed in triumph, and that's when I had seen enough.

I gathered my wits and attacked him. I didn't attack the lion - _I'm against that, as you already figured out_ - but I did do quite a number on his master.

_Shadow Whip …_

With a snap of my wrist, a long coil of darkness wrapped itself around Mohji's middle and pulled him down from seat atop the large lion. Unprepared, the circus man attempted to free himself from my grasp, but his efforts were in vain when I managed to slam him down onto the pavement without any difficultly.

_Dark Choke …_

The whip disappeared, instead replaced with a slinking dark aura that curled around the entire length of his throat. With the shadow latched around his neck, I raised my wrist and raised Mohji from the ground. He began to levitate higher until his feet no longer touched the dirty street pavement, hanging only by the shadow that was now choking him. The lion tamer gasped for breath as he tried to wriggle himself out of my grasp once more, but I did not give up my hold on his throat.

_I am such a terrible person …_

Unfortunately, since I hadn't been watching my back, Richie came up behind me and snatched me in his jaws. I instantly released my hold on Mohji as I was sent flying through the air over the house that had been destroy earlier and hit the dead pavement. Hard.

However, it seemed that I hadn't impacted with the ground as I thought I would have. Instead, I landed on, wouldn't you know it, Luffy, who was very upset that I had fallen on him. "Kori! Get off of me! Why were you just flying through the air?"

I immediately stood up, stretching my now sore back. "Sorry, but I can't really warn you ahead of time if a vicious lion picks me up and throws me away like trash!" I spat back at him.

Luffy dusted himself off and stretched, too. "Meh, whatever, but at least I'm out of that cage!"

"Oh, yeah, that's the only good thing about all of this." I replied sarcastically.

"HEY!" We turned around to see Nami and Boodle rushing towards us, matching flabbergasted expressions hanging on their features. "YOU'RE ALIVE?! How could you survive that!? Both of you!?"

Luffy shrugged. "No big deal."

Nami stepped closer to Luffy. She seemed to be panicking more about him than whatever could be happening with Buggy. _Interesting . . ._ "But how?" She shrieked at him. "Your body demolishes a building and you walk away without a scratch!? That's crazy!"

"Crazy is good." Luffy said in return.

I smirked. "I agree."

"And you!" Nami then pointed at me. "You got stabbed in the gut earlier and now you're walking around like it was no big deal! And you just flew over that building, but you're perfectly fine!?"

I nodded. "I heal fast."

Boodle gazed at us in suspicion. "Why did you all come to this town anyway? Why take on pirates?"

"I just figured out why I'm here. I'm after the map of the Grand Line and to have two new nakama join my crew!" Luffy said, the same wide grin on his face.

I shook my head as Nami scolded him again about the pirate crew thing. Boodle then looked at me. "And you, little missy?"

"I'm just trying to get home." Was all I said.

Luffy turned away from us and began walking down the street. He said over his shoulder. "I'm going to look for Zoro. I'd better find him before that weird costume guy does."

"Don't talk crazy!" Mayor Boodle yelled at him. "Next time, that lion will eat you alive!" Nevertheless, Luffy continued walking, not seeming to hear the mayor's cry.

I sighed and turned to the two strangers I had met. "Well, it's been fun. Later." I also began to walk away, but was suddenly pulled from behind by Nami. "Where do you think you're going? There are pirates here, so you can't just leave yet!"

I wormed my way easily out of her grip. "Watch me." My dramatic exit was cut short, however, when the smell of smoke caught my attention. I looked to the direction of where it was coming from and saw bright orange flames dancing over the rooftop of the demolished houses, and just beyond that was the pets store . . .

I rushed through an open space between the buildings and arrived just in time to see Luffy pound Mohji into the ground, Richie completely knocked out several yards away from them. Mohji stood up, limping, his face bruised and bloodied from Luffy's attacks - _and possibly mine, as well._ He gathered Richie up and took off down the road, probably to go report this incident to Buggy.

After he left, I then saw the scene of the crime: the pets shop had gone up in flames and Chou-Chou was just sitting in front of it, frozen to the spot. He had blood and ash covering his fur, his body drooping slightly as he just watched the shop dissipate into nothing. Eventually the fire went out, the structure of the building falling down in small chunks, smoke sifting through the air around it. The pets shop was now completely gone.

"Pirates!" I heard Nami curse behind me. "They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards! They take away what's most precious to a person and laugh!" Her attention turned to Luffy. "You're still alive? I was hoping that lion would've eaten you!" Then Nami completely lost her mind. "I oughta' kill you right now, before you can get a crew and go pillage some town!"

Luffy said nothing at first, merely staring at her with a blank expression. He then randomly stuck his tongue out at her. "You don't stand a chance against me!" He blew a raspberry at her for emphasis.

Boodle had to hold Nami down so she wouldn't attack the baka straw hat boy. She screamed at the top of her lungs, wiggling in every direction to get free from the mayor's grasp. "THEN LET'S HAVE AT IT RIGHT NOW!"

I looked at her. "Jeez, girl, you need to chill."

Before she could start yelling again, Luffy started talking - talking to Chou-Chou, that is. He had placed a box of dog food in front of the mangled mutt and spoke in a soft, friendly tone. "Hey, sorry that's all I could save for you, boy. The rest got eaten or burned. You did good and you fought well, though. I didn't get to see you in action, but I know you did good!"

A small smile made it's way to my face as I watched the scene appreciatively. Chou-Chou shook a little, then picked up the bag of dog food, and began walking away down the street. He turned back around to face Luffy and barked. Luffy seemed to know what he said somehow and just wished him luck on wherever he was going. Chou-Chou then took the dog food away down the road and disappeared from sight.

Nami seemed to find this scene touching, as well. She walked over to him and gently apologized for yelling at him. Luffy smiled at her as he dusted himself off again. "That's okay, I know you lost someone important to pirates once. I understand . . ." He said sympathetically.

_Okay, maybe Luffy's not such a baka after all . . ._

The glorious atmosphere was shattered as the Boodle screamed out in fury. "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!" We all backed up at his sudden outburst and just watched him rant in a mad rage. "I can't stand any more of their cruel bullying! Not after the way Chou-Chou and this boy fought back so bravely! What kind of mayor stands back and watches his town be destroyed?! SOMETIMES, A MAN'S GOTTA' DO WHAT A MAN'S GOTTA' DO! ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SONNY?!"

"That's right!" Luffy was all on board with this crazy mayor right now, and I had to admit, so was I. "You said it, old man!"

"Don't encourage him!" Nami scolded.

"I think it makes perfect sense." I said. Luffy and Nami glanced at me in surprise. "This town is a treasure to the mayor, so why should it be treated like a piece of shit by ungrateful pirates? If he wants to fight back for his rights over this town, then he should fight."

"You're not helping!" Nami shouted at me.

"This place was a wilderness when we got here." Boodle mused. It immediately caught our attention as he retold the town's life history. "At first, it was just a few homes, but slowly our numbers grew. We worked hard, cleared the land. Over time people came and opened up shops." He gestured wildly around to the town before us. "And look at us now! We're a thriving port! We old timers built this town from nothing! It's our life's work! This town and it's people are my treasure! I'd be a sorry excuse for a mayor if I didn't try to protect the town! I'M GONNA' FIGHT!"

And with that being said, a whole column of houses was suddenly blown away by a powerful force. My first guess was that it had been a Buggy Ball, which was right, but boy did that baka of a captain pick a bad time to set it off. It then became an issue that Zoro was still sleeping in one of the houses inside the wreckage.

_Oh, shit … Matte … He's perfectly fine …_

When the dust from the debris had been blown away, we all saw Zoro sit up, clutching his head and muttering to himself. "Ugh! That's one hell of an alarm clock!"

I snickered at his witty remark as Luffy and Nami both sighed in relief that the swordsman had been unharmed. Be that as it may, Boodle didn't seem too happy about the current situation now.

"THAT TEARS IT! I can't take it any more! I won't lose a second town to those sea rats!" He pulled the spear off from his back and waved it in the air as we all stared at him. "These pirates show up, think they can do as they please . . .But I won't let 'em wreck forty years of hard work! I'm the MAYOR!" _Really, I had no idea._ "I won't take this sitting down!"

Boodle began to charge away from us, but Nami, being the paranoid girl that she is, attempted to keep the mayor from going to face the mass of pirates. "Mayor! Matte, please! Getting yourself killed won't accomplish anything! You're being reckless!"

Boodle turned around and shouted at her in all his fury. "I KNOW I'M BEING RECKLESS!" He had tears in his eyes, pouring down his cheeks. Nami released him at once as he began to charge again. "BUGGY THE CLOWN! PREPARE TO FACE THE MAYOR!" He ran off screaming for a while later until he was no longer in sight.

"That has got to be the coolest old guy I've ever met." I said in utter amazement.

"That mayor . . .he was crying." Nami said quietly in a faraway voice.

"It didn't look that way to me!" Luffy said.

Zoro, who had been sitting on the ground the entire time, looked up to us and smiled. "Things are finally gonna' get fun!"

"This is no laughing matter!" Nami said.

"Don't worry, I like that old man!" Luffy replied as he stared down the road where the mayor had disappeared. "I won't let him get killed!"

"How can you just stand there laughing? What do you get out of this anyway?" Nami said seriously, hands on hips and her foot tapping against the stone street.

Luffy grew just as serious. "We're headed for the Grand Line! We'll steal that map back, and then we can go there together!" He held out his hand to Nami. "Join up with us! You want the map and all that treasure, right?"

I began to wonder if she was actually going to accept Luffy's offer. _I mean, she's been through hell and back after meeting him today, so would it really make a difference to join up with this moron?_ Nami's eyes turned hard. "I won't become a pirate!" She then smacked his hand away. "Let's just say we'll 'join forces', work together for a common goal!"

"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed. He then glanced at me, holding out his hand again. "What about you, Kori? Join up with us?"

For some reason I found his offer tempting, but I don't really know why. I looked at the three strangers who I had just met this morning. _They all seemed like nice people - kind of crazy and unorthodox, I'll admit, but whatever - but if I made friends now, then I wouldn't be able to get back home. I'm not very good with saying farewell to others, so if I get involved it'll just complicate things even more for me than it already has._

I glared up at him. "No."

Luffy threw up his hands in exasperation. "Why not? You've been saying no every time, but I don't understand why!"

I shook my head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try him." Zoro said, fixing me with a serious look.

I now glared at the two baka males in front of me. "I have to return to my home and make sure my family is safe. Right now I am on the run from the fucking Marines, so I really can't get people involved in my life. You picturing what I'm painting here?" I spat at them, acid practically dripping from my every word.

"But you're already involved with us." Luffy said, his expression blank again. "And we can all just sail together until you find your family. Would that work out for you?"

I stared at him. _Is his head full of fucking jelly? It seems like it._ "Obviously you haven't heard of me before. I'm not even going to bother reading you the redact."

"Oi, what does that mean-" Luffy began.

"Luffy, if she can't handle becoming a pirate, then obviously she shouldn't come with us." Zoro said, standing up and dusting off his katanas carefully.

_Matte …_ I turned to him and sneered. "What the hell does that mean?"

He smirked at me, shrugging. "Well, if you would rather go home to your family than travel with pirates, then that means you're just too weak to actually handle yourself against the predators of the sea. You probably couldn't even take this thief on in a fight." He pointed to Nami, who huffed in response.

_Okay, now I feel offended_. I tired to keep myself calm so my dark powers wouldn't spin out of control. _Focus, Kori, just focus. Don't let this aho get to you . . . But maybe he's right . . ._

I looked away from him and caught my reflection in a window that hadn't been shattered from the cannonball earlier. My black hair, which was currently pulled back into a ponytail, needed to be brushed, and my dark bangs fell over my left eye, revealing only one violet orb. Several piercings adorned my face, including two lip rings, a stud nose ring, and eight earrings.

I wore all black. My black corset cut off cut above my breasts, revealing my pale shoulders and a black bat chocker around my neck. My baggy black pants cut off below my knees, the silver chains ringing against each other as I walked, and a simple silver buckle held up around my waist. My black fishnets were torn in some places, but were hardly noticeable between my knee-high black boots and pants. I tied a black ribbon around my left leg, just above my boot, and long black arm sleeves with silver studs covered my wrist cuffs easily.

I had always looked unusual, what with wearing too much black and appearing to be the obvious dark sheep of my family. People assumed I was weak because of my short size and blasé attitude, but many did not know about my ruthless nature. I was dangerous, deadly, but also very depressed. If I brought other innocent people into my life, I would surely get them killed somehow, one way or another.

_But I can't possibly tell them THAT …_

"See?" Zoro continued, looking very smug as he watched me. "You can't even defend yourself for it 'cause you know it's true. You can't handle the real world right now because you're still a small shrimp, so it's completely understandable-"

I turned to Luffy and slapped my hand in his. "I'll be your nakama." I practically growled at him.

"NANI?!" Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all shouted in surprise.

"You heard me." I pulled my hand back and crossed my arms. "I'll be in your damn pirate crew."

Luffy jumped around happily. "Woo! Now we've got four crew members!"

"Matte, matte, matte, matte, matte!" Nami said loudly, trying to talk over Luffy's excited cheers. "Why the sudden change of mind?"

I pointed at Zoro behind her. "That baka right there." I said in a calm, yet vicious voice. "I'm going to show you that I can easily handle anything that I set my mind to, green bean."

"What did you call me?!" Zoro growled at me, his hands on his katanas.

"Nothing." I mused innocently. "Are we gonna' go kick Buggy's ass or not?" I said to Luffy, ignoring Zoro's death glares. _I've been itching for a good fight lately, I don't really know why, but I assumed it had something to do with the dark energy in my body. Well, that's what happens when you've been damned . . ._

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Are you guys ready to go?"

Zoro untied the black bandana that was wrapped around his bicep. "Sounds good to me."

"You're coming, too?" Nami panicked. "What about your wounds?"

"They got better." He then tied the bandana around his head, making his eyes almost unnoticeable on his face. "I'm more worried about my reputation than my guts. I've got a score to settle! Let's do this."

"I can't wait." Luffy cracked his knuckles as we all started walking towards the tavern again. I had fallen in step with Zoro, hoping that I could walk faster than him so I wouldn't have to see his lousy face on our way over to Buggy. He smirked at me again, clearly teasing me, but I ignored it.

_These guys are total bakas._

"You three are crazy!" Nami said, walking at the back of the group.

"Thanks for the news flash, Nami." I said sarcastically as we continued on our way.

TO BE CONTINUED

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

[AU: There we go, Chapter 2 up and done. Now I just gotta' work on 3 . . .which may come out after the holiday break, I hate to say. Sorry! If not, then that's cool, too. Please review, favourite, alert, whatever! It would be most appreciated. Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	3. Chapter 3

[AU: Here's Chapter 3 - Read the notice at the end of the story to gain more information about future chapters and more history on Kori. Thank you and read on.]

**[AU: I will be posting chapters on the weekends from now on, but I may not be able to update every week. I'm writing as fast as I can, as well as actually reading and watching more One Piece. Hey, a fan-nerd's gotta' study the material, right? I'll pretend you agreed to that. Arigato!]**

[This chapter has been revised.]

It seemed we had arrived just in the nick of time to the scene of the crime. The mayor was being held up in the air by one of Buggy's hands, the limb detached from his body as he looked down on Boodle from the tavern rooftop. In a flash, Luffy had captured Buggy's hand so he could stop choking the crazy mayor. Nami, Zoro, and I all stood behind him, watching the scene with interest, waiting for Buggy to fall in defeat.

"As I promised, I'm here to kick your ass." Luffy said, releasing Buggy's struggling limb and letting the old man fall to the ground.

"Mugiwara!" Buggy yelled in surprise. He reattached his hand, clenching it into a fist before shouting at us again. "You bastards! You actually have the guts to come back and face me, Captain Buggy!?" His crew stood behind him, preparing to fight, too, if need be.

"Listen, all I want is the map and treasure. That's all." Nami said aloud to us, making it clear that she didn't want to be involved in any of the fighting that was going to occur here. _Wow, she is such a girl._

"Yeah, we know." Zoro responded.

Boodle, who had been panting and coughing up a storm down on his knees after being released, now stood up, determined to fight. "You brats, what are you doing here?" He glared at the four of us. "You outsiders should mind your own business. This is my fight. This is my town, and I will protect it!" His shaking hands grabbed for his spear as he straightened out his posture. "Don't interfere!"

Suddenly, Mayor Boodle was planted face first into the side of a nearby building by Luffy. I heard the old man's glasses crack from the impact of the crash, but he himself seemed to be perfectly fine. Luffy let go of him and Boodle fell to the ground with a thud. Nami looked positively horrified at Luffy's sudden action , while Zoro and the Buggy Pirates all looked shocked and a little confused. I was the only person in the area laughing at the hilarious display Luffy had just caused. _Yes, I have a morbid sense of humour, deal with it._

"What on earth are you doing!?" Nami blurted out. "Why did you do that to the mayor?!"

Luffy turned around, that cheeky grin returning to his face. "He was in the way."

I couldn't help but laugh again. _Luffy was so serious, yet so naïve at the same time! Oh God! I'm so weak!_ I took a calming breath and grew serious once again.

"Good idea." Zoro said, still looking shocked at Luffy's actions. "If this old man fights, he'll get himself killed. It's better this way."

"Don't be so rash! There are other ways of handling that!" Nami scolded, pointing to the now unconscious mayor in the corner of the street.

"No, there really aren't." I mumbled. _How else were we going to get Boodle to shut up and stand back while we fight these nasty clown pirates? He wasn't going to take no for an answer, so Luffy came up with the next best solution. Done and done._

Luffy turned back to the Buggy Pirates - _who all seemed more or less a little impatient about the current situation_ - and sucked in a deep breath. He then released it, yelling at the top of his lungs. "BIG NOSE!"

The warm atmosphere around us dispersed and converted to ice instantly. Nobody said a word as Luffy shouted the most horrid insult at the Clown Pirate ever. Nami, once again, trembled in fear as I chuckled under my breath. However, the Buggy Pirates all trembled in fear as they shared frightened glances with each other, gazing at their captain worriedly as Buggy's face contorted into unimaginable hate.

"You're pissing me off, asshole." Buggy muttered in a very dark, yet calm tone. His aura grew black quickly, daggers appearing between his fingers in a ready offense. "You dare call me that?" He turned to his crew. "FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!" The clown crew readily slipped a Buggy Bomb into a nearby cannon and lit it up.

"Why'd you say that, baka?!" Nami screamed at Luffy, running out of the way to avoid fire.

"Oi, Luffy! Run!" Zoro said. He looked at me and made moving motions with his hands, as if I wouldn't be able to understand his words. I shook my head, but backed up a few feet just in case this got messy.

"That's nothing." Luffy said confidently. "That won't work on me." Suddenly, his body began to inflate like a balloon as he inhaled a very big breath, stretching his skin to take the shape of a giant round blob. "Gomu Gomu No Balloon!" As the cannonball shot out of the cannon in a mad fire, it bounced into Luffy's now-giant stomach and boomeranged back into the tavern. The Buggy Pirates only had a second to react before the whole building collapsed in a heap, crumbling down to the ground. Nothing was left of the tavern but debris and dust.

_So, this kid has the powers of a Devil Fruit, eh? Well, things just got interesting. I'm kinda' glad to be his nakama now._

Luffy released the air from his lungs, shrinking to normal size in a flash. I smirked and nodded in approval. "That was wicked awesome, Luffy."

Nami didn't share the same optimistic reaction that I did, however. "What the hell are you!?" She shouted, sitting up from her defensive position on the ground.

Zoro walked up beside me, huffing at Luffy in annoyance. "Don't surprise people like that."

Nami stood up and marched over to us, hands on her tiny hips and an evil look in her chocolate eyes. "Ever since you fought that lion, I knew there was something strange about you. That's not something humans can do! Explain this all to me clearly! And that balloon thing you did just now! What was that?!"

"It's the rubber balloon." Luffy replied easily.

"I'm asking what the hell that is! Are you some kind of monster?!" Nami shouted again. She seemed very frustrated, but was also being very annoying right now.

_Luffy, a monster? Pffffft, get real._ I thought, crossing my arms over my chest.

Our attention was then drawn back to the tavern that had been smashed to pieces. Several piles from the rubble pile began to move, crunching and clanking together until Buggy popped up like a fresh spring daisy. "How dare you do that to us." He spat, holding up two of his cronies by their collars, who appeared to be knocked out cold.

"He used his underlings as a shield, eh?" Nami muttered through clenched teeth.

_Now that's just not right . . ._ I glared at the uninjured captain and sneered.

Another crew member popped up from the wreckage, rubbing his head carefully as he took in the scene around him. His eyes widened as he realized that the his fellow crewmembers were now all unconscious, having been defeated by their own Buggy Ball. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the astounded crewmate was Mohji, but his lion Richie didn't seem to be with him.

"What happened here?!" Mohji cried out. His eyes wandered over to us and jumped when he noticed Luffy standing there. "Ah! It's you! It's the guy with the straw hat! Captain Buggy, be very careful! He also has the power of a Devil Fruit! He's a rubber man!"

"Rubber man?" Nami mumbled, glancing at Luffy curiously. He nodded, stretching out his cheeks for Nami to see. _I had to admit, it was a pretty cool power to have, especially considering its awesome fighting capability. I just hope he doesn't get himself into too much trouble because of it._

Buggy, too, seemed interested in Luffy's unusual rubber gift. "A Devil Fruit . . .That's how he was able to bounce the Buggy Ball back."

Yet again, another crewmember popped up from the rubble, holding up . . .Richie the lion as his shield. _Oh, that bastard._ "This is our greatest humiliation ever, Captain."

"Ooh, Cabaji." Buggy said.

Mohji, who just now noticed the wounded lion being held in Cabaji's grasp, flipped out like a little girl and ran screaming to see if his pet was alright. Of course, the moment Richie regained consciousness he cowered behind a nearby rock when his gaze met Cabaji's. _Obviously this was the type of guy who doesn't put up with any kind of shit for anything._ Mohji lost his temper and charged at Cabaji, but was roughly kicked out of the way, hurtling straight in our direction.

Tears were slipping from the corners of his eyes as he flew through the air with immense force. "Move out of the way!" He cried as he came closer and closer to colliding with me head first.

"You move." I replied coolly, standing firmly in place.

_Shadow Shield …_

Once the soaring lion tamer was within a few feet of my perimeter, I allowed the darkness around me to swell into an impenetrable force of defense. Mohji collided with the shield face first, his nose and lips crushed against the glass-like surface and his eyes continuing to water. After a moment, he fell to the ground haphazardly.

Despite the concussion-causing crash he had just endured, Mohji slowly stood up, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth as he glared at me. "I will not allow you to beat me again!" He shouted, sniffing in the droplets of crimson liquid that dangled from his nostrils.

He attempted to attack me with nothing but his bare hands. _Yeah, that's funny._ In a total of three seconds, I had his fists caught in my grasp, his arms locked behind his own back, and kicked him square in the spine hard enough to send him crashing into a nearby building. As his body connected with the cement structure, forming an unusual starfish figure, he immediately went limp. You could practically see the letters K.O. etched onto his forehead as he fell onto the ground with a final grunt.

_At least now we won't have to worry about that baka trying to fight us again._

The serene standstill was broken as Luffy's voice cut through the afternoon air. "SUGOI! How'd you do that, Kori?!" That large, silly grin had returned to his face and his dark eyes were replaced with golden stars. Zoro and Nami were staring at me as well, disbelief written all over their features. Buggy didn't appear to be concerned about my attacks on his first mate, but the paranoia of losing clearly reflected in his eyes.

I simply shrugged, looking away from the straw hat boy as the other standing crewmate of Buggy began to speak. "Captain Buggy, please let me handle this." Cabaji said, staring in our direction with an intense gleam of bloodlust.

"Alright." Buggy said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Show them your acrobatics."

Cabaji hopped onto a unicycle - _nothing says 'beat me up' like riding a unicycle, dude_ - and skated over towards us. He pulled out a gleaming sword and aimed it straight for Luffy, who didn't have a weapon _. . .Great._ "The chief of staff, Cabaji the Acrobat! Captain Buggy's rage has been transferred to me."

The acrobat would have pierced Luffy through the throat if Zoro hadn't put himself between them. Zoro's katanas, all three completely unsheathed, blocked Cabaji's attack. "Since you're using a sword, I'll be your opponent."

Cabaji smirked. "That seems fair, Roronoa Zoro, to fight you as a swordsman." He then looked down and just so happened to notice Zoro's injury from earlier today. _If he thinks he can fight with that serious wound, then he's got another thing coming._

Luffy seemed to share my thoughts as he offered to take control of the fight with the acrobat. "Hey, Zoro, maybe you should keep resting. I can take care of this."

Zoro shook his head, his gaze never drifting from Cabaji's taunting expression. "Don't get in my way!"

"Acrobatic Special, Old Man's Flame!" Cabaji yelled suddenly. He brought his free hand up to his mouth and blew out red-hot flames, the fire spitting against Zoro's face. Unfortunately, the flames caused Zoro to let his guard down, unable to see his surroundings, so he wasn't prepared to block Cabaji's foot when it collided with his open wound. The marimo fell to the ground, gasping at the stabbing pain near his stomach.

"That's dirty! He aimed for the wound!" Nami exclaimed.

"That's the way it works in dueling, Nami." I sighed. "You don't always fight fair."

"Shut up!" She responded, her eyes practically glued to the fight before us.

"Acrobatic Special, Murder Under A Cloud Of Smoke!" Cabaji shouted as he blew up a big dust cloud around Zoro. We weren't able to see much through the thick layer of dust in the air, but I'm pretty sure Cabaji had managed to kick Zoro in his injury again from the amount of screaming I heard from the marimo swordsman. The cloud of smoke disappeared, revealing Zoro lying on the ground, gasping in pain again, and Cabaji standing above him, rocking back and forth on his unicycle.

"What's wrong?" Cabaji teased. "This is pathetic for a great man like yourself. So, have you realized yet that it's foolish to go against the Buggy Pirates?" He laughed maliciously.

"How can he fight someone with that wound? It's a wonder that he's still alive." Nami muttered to herself in amazement. The look of wonder vanished as she turned to Luffy with a scowl. "What are you doing?! He's going to be killed!" Luffy said nothing as he continued to watch the two swordsman's battle.

"It's not our fight." I said.

"Huh?" Nami looked at me expectedly.

"It's not our fight, so we can't interrupt it." I repeated. _If we stop his battle then Zoro is never going to forgive us. It'll hurt his pride . . .whatever pride he actually has, anyway._

"You're crazy!" Nami replied.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know." I said dully.

Zoro was finally able to stand up on his own, wobbling on his feet but managing to stand his ground. Cabaji seemed amused at the green-haired swordsman's actions and didn't hesitate in trying to kill him. "Roronoa Zoro, time to die!" Cabaji brought his sword forward and aimed straight for Zoro's injury again.

"Annoying bastard." Zoro muttered. He looked up and scowled at the circus freak. "Is hitting my wound that much fun?!" Cabaji then skated past him, his whole sword cutting deep through Zoro's gash, possibly reopening it. The acrobat gasped as he stopped his peddling to stare back at Zoro, who was somehow still able to stand. The green bean turned around to face Cabaji. "Are you satisfied now? I will show you the difference between you and me!"

_Okay, maybe Zoro's not as weak as I thought . . .If he survives this, he's gonna' be one lucky bastard._

Cabaji grinned. "So this is Roronoa Zoro. I underestimated you."

"My goal is to become the world's best swordsman. I can't be defeated, not even once!" Zoro said fiercely.

Cabaji's grin widened. "I see. You wanted to show me your strong will. Don't worry though, you can't beat me with just that. It can be your excuse for losing." _Okay, this guy's ego is just as big as his Captain's._

"Stop messing around. If I lose to someone like you just because of a wound like this, I can't imagine what kind of future I would have!" Zoro replied darkly, smirking as Cabaji's face fell in embarrassment.

"Go, Zoro!" Luffy shouted, breaking the heavy atmosphere between the two sword fighters.

Nami sighed, walking away from her spot against the wall. "Do what you guys want. You pirates can just kill each other. Whether you guys win or lose, it has nothing to do with me." She turned back to Luffy, smiling greedily. "I'll go find the treasure myself, and then it'll be farewell. If fate has it, we'll work together again. See ya'! Good luck fighting!" And with that she took off down an alleyway away from us.

"Yeah, thanks!" Luffy called after her.

"I thought you wanted her to be your navigator?" I asked him. _He had been begging her to join his crew, now he's just going to let her go without saying anything? This guy is really weird._

"She'll come back, I'm sure of that." Luffy responded with a smile.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this sure of yourself?"

"Yes." He said, then returned his attention back to the battle. I rolled my eyes, but continued to watch as well.

Cabaji's eyes narrowed at Zoro, obviously peeved at his insult. "Now for my best Acrobatic Special." He said, the gleam in his brooding eyes darkening. "Acrobatic Special, Hundred Spin Tops Wind Attack!" Bright gold spinning tops came out of nowhere, flying at Zoro with incredible speed. Zoro was able to quickly slice through every one of them, the tops falling to the ground as they broke. However, Cabaji had somehow peddled all the way up the wall of a building and flown into the air as Zoro finished cutting through the acrobats' distraction. He only had a second to react as Cabaji came back down in a rush. "Acrobatic Special, Rising Fireworks!" He brought his sword down below his body to pierce Zoro when he reached the ground.

"Cabaji!" Buggy yelled, still standing in the pile of rubble, watching the scene quietly. One of his hands were gone, slowly racing towards Zoro's legs. "I'll hold him! Now finish him off!"

_No you don't._ Buggy yelped in pain as my combat boot dug into his hand, stopping his cruel actions just in time. Zoro was able to dodge Cabaji's attack just in time as he fell from the sky, digging his sword into the ground. The acrobat seemed very annoyed at having missed his target and prepared to strike again. Zoro glanced back at me. "KORI!"

I ignored him, my attention focused on Buggy, who was now glaring daggers at me. I shook my head at him. "If you have any respect, don't interrupt a good fight."

Cabaji huffed, obviously irritated about his failed plan. "I don't need the Captain's help to defeat someone like you." He said haughtily.

"That's enough - I'm tired . . ." Zoro responded.

Cabaji laughed maliciously again, sneering down at the swordsman before him. "You've finally given up on this fight. I'm amazed that you fought with that wound until now."

"No." Zoro said. "I'm saying that I'm tired of your useless Acrobatic Specials." _Well, that's sure to piss him off, dude._

A vein popped out of Cabaji's forehead. He was now driven by his own anger, which was not good. "Then I will finish you with one last strike! With my True Sword technique!"

He charged forward with his sword at ready, but Zoro was slightly faster. The swordsman brought his blades together in formation and delivered his final blow. "Devil Strike!" Zoro then sliced Cabaji across the chest in three directions as he peddled by him. Cabaji managed to skate away a couple feet before falling to the ground in utter defeat.

"The Buggy crew was defeated by common thieves!" He said just before he fell under the blanket of unconsciousness.

"Not thieves . . ." Zoro muttered. He dropped his katanas and fell to the ground, lying on his stomach, completely exhausted. "Pirates!" He lifted his head to look at his straw hat captain. "Luffy, I'm going to sleep."

"I'll take care of the rest." Luffy responded, ready to fight Buggy off.

"You guys are pirates?" Buggy asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, we're going to the Grand Line." Luffy replied easily. I stared at him. _Going to the Grand Line with only four crew members? Is he insane? Oh, matte . . . Yeah._

"That's not a place you can just casually go to, baka." Buggy responded. An evil grin appeared on his face. "Even if you enter the Grand Line, what are you going to do? Go site seeing?" He broke down in loud, obnoxious laughter.

"Become Pirate King." Luffy said, not at all effected by Buggy's sarcastic remarks.

Buggy's laughter ceased instantly. "Stop fooling around, baka! YOU'RE going to be the Pirate King?! Then I must be God!" The dark gaze in his eyes intensified as he got more and more pissed off. "The one who will become the Pirate King and own all the treasure in the world is me! Stop dreaming!"

"You talk too much." Luffy responded. _I agree._ "Just bring it on."

I didn't think it was possible, but Buggy seemed to get even more irritated with every passing second. "When I look at your straw hat, it reminds me of that man, and it pisses me off." Daggers appeared between his fingers again as he readied an attack. "That despicable redheaded bastard!"

Luffy paused and blinked, seeming to realize something important. He straightened out of his fighting stance and gaped at the clown pirate. "Redheaded? Did you say redheaded? Do you know Shanks?"

I stared between the two pirates. _Luffy knows Red Hair Shanks personally? Wow . . .This is going to get very interesting._

"Nani? So what if I know him?" Buggy responded, acting uninterested in the current conversation.

"Where is he now?" Luffy pushed further, eager to hear what Buggy was hiding from him.

"Well . . .To say I know him, I do know him. To say I don't know him, I don't know him." Buggy responded. _Okay, now he's just teasing the poor boy._

Luffy took the bait. "What are you saying? Are you stupid?"

"You're stupid!" Buggy shouted. "Like I would tell you something that you want to know. I'm not that nice of a guy."

"Well, then, I'll beat it out of you!" Luffy said, curling his hands into fists.

"You'll be dead before you get to ask." Buggy lifted his arms, allowing the daggers in his hands to gleam in the afternoon sun. He smiled as looked between the blades to Luffy. "Rubber can't bounce knives back."

Luffy shook his head. "Yep, not possible."

_Give the boy a cookie._

I heard movement in the alleyway next to me and tensed. _If it's another one of Buggy's henchmen, then I'll take care of it._ I peeked around the corner only to see Nami, dragging a huge bag of treasure behind her. She didn't seem to notice me, so I just turned back to watch the third fight of the day.

"Bara Bara Japanese Crackers!" Buggy shouted, splitting from his lower regions and boomeranging it towards Luffy. The boy stretched his arm out to grab a nearby post to avoid getting hit as Buggy's lower half returned to him again. "Oh, I see. Interesting."

"You too." Luffy said respectively. "Gomu Gomu No Pistol!" He brought his fist back and attempted to punch Buggy in the face, but missed by a hair. His hand hooked onto a tree far behind them and allowed himself to snap back into place, flying through the air towards Buggy. The immortal clown, however, simply removed his head from his body - _ya' don't hear that one everyday_ - as Luffy attempted to hit him in the face again. Luffy then flew back against the tree and crashed into the house residing behind it.

_Isn't that the fourth building you've destroyed now, Luffy? Pretty soon there's not going to be anything left in this town if you're still around._

Luffy broke through the decay, a hand on his head, but not a scratch on him. "Damn, he split into pieces." He muttered.

"What kind of fight is this?" Nami said aloud to herself. I looked back at her to see her staring at Luffy in utter amazement. "It's like watching a dream."

"This happens to be a very common fight whenever two Devil Fruit's clash." I said.

Nami, who had just now realized that I was there, turned her eyes to me expectantly. "Huh? What do you mean?"

I sighed. _She's never seen or met another Devil Fruit user, eh?_ "The outcome of the fight is usually impossible to determine, but the users don't give up until one has vanquished the other completely. Knowing that, this fight could go on for quite a while since their Devil Fruit powers seem to match each others capabilities."

A bead of sweat appeared on Nami's forehead. "Do you have to be so negative?"

"Negative about what?" I asked.

Nami shook her head in exasperation. "Never mind. Just watch the fight."

Buggy's head had returned to it's appropriate spot on his neck as he launched his hand, holding four blades in his fingers, towards Luffy at full force. Luffy caught the lone limb a second before it managed to hit him, but quickly slipped from him grasp, leaving two nasty scratches on the side of his face.

Buggy cackled in his twisted, evil way as watched Luffy fall back onto the ground. "How did you like that, kid? Huh?" His ugly grin fell when he didn't see Luffy cry or beg for mercy.

Luffy, instead, picked up his straw hat, which had fallen off when he had been cut. He gazed at it with a pained, almost dead, expression. Then, out of nowhere, his aura liquefied into the darkest shade of black as he turned back to Buggy. "YOU BASTARD!"

"What is it? Was it wrong of me to cut your face?" Buggy laughed.

Luffy gazed at his hat again, the look of anguish and hostility still on his features. "You dare . . . YOU DARE DAMAGE THIS HAT?!" Buggy didn't seem to know what was going on at this point. Luffy stood up, his rage spewing from every corner of his being. "THIS IS MY TREASURE! I WON'T FOR GIVE ANYONE WHO DAMAGES THIS HAT !"

"I thought he was someone who wouldn't take anything seriously." Nami muttered. "But he's so passionate about it."

I understood what she meant. _Anyone could see that the straw hat Luffy wore was more than just something to shield your eyes from the sun with. There was some type of hidden history within that hat that Luffy treasured above all else. And I think I know what it is . . ._

Buggy seemed to realize this, too. "It seems like that hat has some history. Is that hat important?" Luffy nodded. "If it's that important, then protect it properly!" Buggy's hand, which had been absent from the scene for quite a while, now appeared from behind Luffy. It flew through the straw hat, the blades cutting through the top like a sweet butter, before landing in Buggy's grasp as he reattached his hand to his wrist.

"How is this worn out hat a treasure?" Buggy said before cackling again. "Treasures are gold and silver objects that shine, showing the owner's class. This crappy straw hat is a treasure? Don't make me laugh!"

"That's Shanks hat." Luffy mumbled, a scowl resting on his face as he sat up on his knees.

_I knew it._

"NANI?" Buggy exclaimed. "This hat belongs to Shanks?" He threw the hat down on the ground immediately. "No wonder why it looks familiar. He always wore this thing next to me!"

Luffy shot up like a rocket when he heard this. "You were on the same ship as Shanks?"

"Yeah, back when I was a pirate apprentice." Buggy explained. "We were comrades. THAT DAMN ANNOYING REDHEADED BASTARD!" He then brought his foot down upon the straw hat lying on the ground in his rage.

Luffy went livid. He ran at Buggy in full speed. "Shanks is a great man! You guys were comrades?! Don't compare yourself with him!" He then punched Buggy hard in the stomach, sending the immortal freak to the ground in pain. "Don't ever say you and Shanks were comrades!"

"It's my right to say what I want about Shanks!" Buggy sputtered between coughs.

Luffy sat on Buggy and grabbed his cheeks, stretching his skin tightly until red marks covered the clowns' face. "SPIT IT OUT! What happened between you and Shanks?!" He let go of Buggy and turned back towards the straw hat still on the ground. "Damn, how dare you do that to my treasure."

"Do you really want to know?" Buggy said, sitting up, his face twisted up into an unimaginable hostile mask. "He is the only man I can never forgive! I will curse him for the rest of my life! I will never forgive that guy! In all my life, I've never been as mad someone as him! That bastard Shanks stole enormous riches from me! I don't know how you two are connected, BUT I CAN SAY WHATEVER I WANT ABOUT HIM!" Buggy exclaimed.

I had already heard the tale of Shanks and Buggy's rivalry on their pirate ship many years ago, but Buggy insisted on telling Luffy the tale from the beginning. The two men were rivals on a pirate ship when they were both pirate apprentices, often getting into many stupid arguments over things that didn't really matter. Buggy swore that he was going to find all the treasure in the world and become a better pirate captain than Shanks ever could wish to be. He then found a treasure map from an enemy pirate during one of their raids, and said that one day he would find it, even though it was hidden on the ocean floor.

Later that night after the raid, Shanks decided to visit Buggy, trying to get him to come down to the kitchens so he could see all the loot they had stolen from the enemy pirates. Shanks talked about finding a Devil Fruit, explaining that it could grant you unusual powers in exchange for the inability to swim, then insisted that it could be worth a lot of money. Buggy, hearing that it could possibly be worth a fortune, stood in front of the whole crew the next morning and ate it.

Or, at least, they thought he ate the legendary Devil Fruit. The truth was that Buggy had hidden the real Devil Fruit and was going to row to a nearby village to sell it off to earn as much money as he could get his hands on. His plan almost succeeded if Shanks hadn't come by and startled him, causing him to swallow the Devil Fruit hole. Outraged, Buggy fought with Shanks - who had no idea what was going on - dropping his treasure map over the side of the boat in the process. Buggy jumped into the water to retrieve it, but was unable to when he remembered that those who ate the Devil Fruits weren't able to swim. After a few moments of drowning in the sea, Shanks dived into the water and saved him, thus sealing Buggy's immortal fate with the redheaded man.

"So, Shanks saved you." Luffy said when the story had come to an end.

_Cue face palm._

"That's not what I'm trying to say!" Buggy shouted, frustrated to no end. "Because of him, my plan in life was suddenly delayed 10 years! And then I had a revelation. If under water's no good, then I'll obtain all the treasure on land using this Chop-Chop power. That's why I won't let anyone who touches my treasure live!" Buggy split his torso from his lower half and flew forward.

However, it was then that I noticed that Nami had decided to make her escape. She didn't get very far, though, when Buggy had spotted her walking slyly behind Luffy down the street. Buggy rushed at Nami, screaming at the top of his lungs. "LET GO OF MY TREASURE!"

"Crap!" Nami shrieked. "He spotted me!"

She scurried away as fast as she could, but Buggy was slightly faster. He had almost reached her when I noticed that Buggy's lower half was completely exposed. _Such a stupid move._ I walked over to Buggy's lower half, making sure that the psycho pirate wasn't watching, and kicked him as hard as I could right in his nuts.

I heard him cry out in pain and looked back to see his upper half fall to the ground at Nami's feet. "M-my b-balls . . .my balls!" Buggy shrieked like a little girl. I kicked his lower half to the ground and snickered. _He totally deserved it._

Luffy winced when he saw me kick Buggy in his nether regions, but laughed nevertheless. "Thanks, Kori!" I nodded at him. "You're still dealing with me, Buggy!" Luffy then turned to Nami. "Oi! Leave that treasure and get out of here. He'll come after you again."

"No!" Nami looked somewhat offended by Luffy's command, gripping her bag of loot tighter over her shoulder. "Leave the treasure and go!? Absolutely not! Why should I have to leave my own treasure behind?!"

Apparently Buggy heard that comment as he sat up to stare up at Nami. "YOUR treasure?!" He shouted in anger.

"Duh!" Nami responded in an obnoxious, rude tone. "I'm a thief who only steals from pirates, and I just stole this one! Which means this treasure is mine now!"

I shook my head at her. _Nami, you really need to learn to watch your mouth._

"NONSENSE!" Buggy yelled. "That's my treasure! Do you think stealing it makes it yours?!" _I believe she does think that, Buggy._ "Honestly! What kind of upbringing did you have?!"

I could see the hurt in Nami's eyes from Buggy's heartless statement. She didn't let the pain creep onto her face, however. _What happened to her?_ "A criminal trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous. I haven't fallen so low that I need to be corrected by pirates!" She replied.

"I hope you're ready to face the consequences, Nami . . ." Buggy muttered darkly before standing up hastily. "Chop-Chop Festival!" Buggy's whole body then split into various pieces, like a jig-saw puzzle, as he attempted to take his treasure back by force. "Just try and help you friend if you can, Gum-Gum. Nami, give me back my treasure!"

"You wish!" Nami shouted while running away.

I started to giggle when I noticed that Luffy had captured one of Buggy's feet - _this guy just doesn't protect his parts very well._ He began tickling, stabbing, and smacking Buggy's foot until the clown captain couldn't take it anymore. He had been rotated from laughing to shrieking out in pain as he continued to chase Nami down the street. "KNOCK IT OFF!" He yelled back at Luffy.

"No, you knock it off!" Nami said, swinging the bag roughly over her shoulder right into Buggy's face.

However, her plan to get rid of Buggy backfired when he grabbed hold of it, claiming it as his own once again. "Thanks for the treasure back!" Nami tired desperately to wiggle the treasure bag free from the pirate's grip, repeating over and over that she stole it fair and square.

I thought it was about time that I interjected as I walked over and swiftly snatched the treasure bag out of Buggy's hands gracefully. "I'll be taking that." _I'll make sure to give it back to Nami after Buggy's been blown to smithereens._

"Oi! That's my treasure!" Buggy shouted at me as I began to walk away from the two morons. "Unhand it, you dirty pariah!" I turned back around to see his two floating hands, disabled from his body, coming at me with a couple of daggers. I rolled my eyes at his pathetic threats and just continued to watch the show.

You see, Buggy wasn't aware that Luffy had run up behind him, and also didn't see the swift kick he landed onto the clown's face, sending him to the ground. Buggy's face planted with the concrete street, then began to skid at least ten yards away from us until he came to a complete halt. His dissembled body parts were scattered on the ground around us, doing nothing since he had just been beaten into the dust by a teenage boy.

"Thanks, I owe you one." Nami said to Luffy.

"Yeah, no problem." He replied, smiling again.

"Now give me back my treasure, Kori!" Nami nagged at me, pointing a finger in my direction.

I gave it to her without a word. _Not like I need the cash anyway._

Unfortunately, Buggy still wasn't ready to give up the fight. _He just lost his treasure, his crew, and his pride . . .I think he should lose one more thing_. I thought as Buggy hovered in midair over the spot where he had landed. It was only his head that was floating in the air, but his red velvet cape was fluttering around him dramatically as he fixed Luffy with a glare so fierce it would've been enough to frighten only my younger siblings. I shook my head and moved out of the way, grabbing the rope that was tied around my ankle from earlier in the day. _I knew it'd come in handy._

"This isn't over yet, Gum-Gum!" Buggy said. "How dare you flashily do this to me?! You'll pay for this! Assemble! Chop-Chop parts!" _I don't think so, dude._ Buggy's body parts swept across the pavement towards his head, reassembling on their own. After a moment he was put back together, but not in the form that he was used to. He looked down at himself, only to find that he was only a foot tall now. "HUH?!"

"Looking for these?" I taunted, smirking at his gawking face as he looked in my direction. I pointed down so he could see the small bundle of his body parts, tied up neatly with just one long line of rope. I nudged it lightly with my foot, only to have his lost pieces squirm under the touch.

Luffy laughed loudly when he saw what I had done. "Wait to go, Kori!" He flung both of his hands behind his back, his arms stretching at an incredible length before coming back at who knows how many miles per hour. "Go flying, Buggy! Gomu Gomu No Bazooka!" Luffy's arms, fingers curled into fists, snapped back and punched Buggy right in the chest. Buggy rocketed into the sky faster than the speed of light, disappearing from sight within a minute.

Luffy's arms slapped back to their normal size and he pumped his firsts in the air. "I win!" He sobered up as he turned back towards the straw hat that still lay on the ground. He picked it up, studying the three large tears through the top half and sighed.

"It's all torn up now." Nami stated.

"Well, that's okay. I can still put it on, plus I sent Buggy flying, so I'm satisfied." Luffy said cheerfully as he placed the ruined straw hat back over his messy black hair.

Nami, who had grown unusually quiet, stared at Luffy for a second. Her shoulders slumped as she looked at the ground in pity. "It's alright. I'll fix it for you later."

Luffy's ears perked up at this. "Huh? Nani?" He asked eagerly.

"Nothing!" Nami said quickly. She lifted up two smaller treasure bags in her hands. "Hey, anyways, so I split the treasure into two bags, so carry half of it. It's too heavy for me."

_Must you always get other people to do your work for you? It's pathetic._

"There sure is a lot." Luffy replied.

"If anything, Buggy does know quality treasure when he sees it. All this should go for at least 10 million Beli!" She smiled, but grew somber momentarily. She put down her treasure bags and pulled something out of her shirt. It was the map that she had been looking for earlier. Nami held out the scrap of paper to Luffy. "Here you go. It's the chart of the Grand Line. Don't you want it?"

Luffy looked somewhat stunned. "You're giving it to us?"

"You did save me." Nami said through clenched teeth, as if the subject sickened her to the core.

"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy said, snatching the map from her hands. "I finally got a map of the Grand Line! Woohoo!" He smiled at me and I couldn't help but give a wry smile back. He got what he wanted, at least. "Oh, does that mean you'll join our crew now?"

Nami set her hands on her hips. "I told you I'm never going to join a pirate crew!" She said sternly. "But okay. Staying with you guys seems profitable enough." I could feel a bead of sweat slinking down my forehead at her words, but I chose to ignore it. "But I'm only teaming up with you, just so you know."

"Is that the only reason you're staying with us?" I asked, getting very annoyed with this girl.

"Yes, the only reason." She said, sticking her tongue out at me. I huffed a breath in reply.

A few feet away from us Luffy was trying to wake Zoro up. Luffy patted his head roughly. "Oi! Zoro! Wake up! Zoro! We're going!"

It seemed that the green-haired swordsman had managed to stay completely zonked out for the entire fight, not even moving from his lazy position on the ground until now. He groaned and sat up, leaning against his elbows for support. "Did we take care of everything?"

"Yeah!" Luffy replied. "We also got a map and two new nakama."

Zoro sat up into a full sitting position, glancing from Nami to me. His face turned blue and he swayed back a little. "No good . . ." He said weakly. "Out of blood . . .I don't think I can walk."

"Of course you can't! You wouldn't be human if you three could walk!" Nami said sternly.

Luffy looked up at her from his squatting position on the ground. "Why am I included?"

"Or me?" I asked, one hand on my hip, my body slouching to the side dully.

"You're the most suspicious of all!" Nami shrieked. _I didn't know if she was talking to me or Luffy, but I don't think it really mattered_. "Anyways, we gotta' help the mayor."

"Oh yeah! We gotta' wake up the old mayor guy now." Luffy said enthusiastically.

I froze when I felt a presence behind me. Since my childhood I had been paranoid about people sneaking up on me to attack, so I had easily developed the skill of picking things up on my internal radar in my head. _Thank you Marines . . .Matte, not just one . . .there are many people here now._

Before any of us had the chance to even move, loud, angry voices sounded from behind us. We all turned to see a whole fucking crowd of people standing around us, holding up pitchforks, clubs, and fire sticks high above their heads. "You there! Are you outsiders?" One of the men asked us.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Luffy said with a blank expression.

"We're this towns citizens." The man replied. "Did the pirates have a falling out or something? If you know anything, tell us!" One of the other citizens then noticed their unconscious mayor lying in the street. "Oh, Mayor! Oh, no! Say something! The pirates definitely did this!" They all said at once.

"Sorry! I kicked that old man's ass." Luffy said truthfully.

"NANI?!" The townspeople exclaimed in unison.

"Hold on!" Nami shrieked. "You don't need to tell them that!"

"You saw it." Luffy replied.

"Yeah, but you had an actual reason-" Nami started, but was interrupted as she saw the townspeople saunter closer towards the four of us pirates.

"Why did you guys do this to our mayor?" The citizens took turns yelling at us, fury taking over their actions and bloodlust radiating from their skin. "Don't give us your excuses! Who are you? Are you with those pirates?"

"We're pirates." Luffy responded easily.

Dead silence. Nobody spoke, nobody moved, nobody even breathed as the atmosphere turned thick and unpleasant. Everyone stood - _or in Zoro's case, sat_ - perfectly still, petrified like statues, totally speechless. Then, all at once, the town citizens rejoiced. "JUST AS WE THOUGHT!" They all shouted.

_Oh my God . . ._ Zoro and I were in hysterics as the townsfolk went ballistic.

"BAKA!" Nami screamed at Luffy.

He flinched back, a sweat drop skidding down his forehead. "It's the truth!"

"PIRATES!" The townspeople exclaimed in their livid state. "How dare you ravage our town! We won't show mercy just 'cause you're kids!"

I stopped laughing immediately after they said this. I knew there was no way in hell they were going to let us go without some form of punishment. Zoro thought the same thing, however, when Luffy squatted next to him, possibly planning our escape. "What now?" Zoro said. "Doesn't look like they'll hear us out."

Luffy shook his head, snickering. He looked up at me, winked, and grabbed Zoro's left arm, slinging it over his shoulder. I took the hint and quickly grabbed the marimo's other arm, hefting him up and taking off down the street. Nami followed shortly behind us, carrying both of her treasure bags on her shoulders.

"RUN!" Luffy screamed as the town citizens chased us down the street. They cursed at us, shouting horrible things as we ran for our lives back to the docks.

Nami panted as she tried to keep up with our fast pace. "Ugh! Why did you make things worse?!" She cried.

"This is a good town." Luffy said, grinning from ear to ear even though we were sprinting away from the chaotic mob of citizens. "Everyone's so mad, just for the old guy! I think they'd get mad at any excuse we give!" He laughed as we made a swift turn to the right around a corner. "We're turning here!"

Nami wasn't prepared for the sharp turn - _and neither was I, to be honest_ - and struggled behind for a few seconds before catching up with us again. Just in the middle of the alleyway we were running down was a dog, Chou-Chou, sitting in his guard position with bandages covering his fur. We were forced to jump over him, but Chou-Chou, surprisingly, allowed us to pass. However, it wasn't until after we had landed and continued on our way did we hear him begin to bark.

I looked over my shoulder to see the mutt barking sporadically at the townspeople. The mob of men and women all stood there stupidly, yelling at the dog to move so they could kill us 'good for nothing dirty pirates'. But Chou-Chou wouldn't budge, not even a muscle, as he let us simply get away.

I smirked to myself, sprinting to the docks with Zoro's weight pressing down on my side. I thought back to everything that had happened today: _I was captured by Buggy; met a strange straw hat boy, a self-absorbed rich girl, and a baka marimo swordsman; we clashed in battle with a lion tamer, an acrobat, and the head-honcho clown himself; and during all that, the mikan-haired girl and I had joined a lame pirate crew. All in all . . ._

I grunted. "This has been a very interesting day." I said aloud as we made it back to the ocean side in one piece.

_Let this strange new adventure being._

TO BE CONTINUED

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

[AU: I want to explain a couple of things from this chapter: 1. Yes, Kori knows Red Haired Shanks - that'll be explained later on. 2. Kori will fight more when they meet Usopp in the next chapter - plus her history will be revealed a bit more. 3. Kori is basically a ninja, so that's why she has these weird powers - again, I'll explain why later. 4. I know this is a romance, but that probably won't start to happen for at least another few chapters, sadly. 5. No, there's nothing magical about Kori. And . . .I think that's it. Again, I have a picture of what Kori looks like on my DeviantART account. I'm going to include a second OC in just a few chapters, another girl named . . .nope! Not telling! Anyway! Review, favourite, alert, anything! It would be most appreciated! Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	4. Chapter 4

[AU: Here's Chapter 4. Read the notice at the end of this chapter, please and thank you! Read on.]

[This chapter has been revised.]

We had managed to make it to the docks all together without any of the townsfolk chasing close behind us. Luffy and I were still dragging Zoro on our shoulders since he was still in a state of fatigue from his battle with Cabaji the Acrobat, and Nami had managed to hang on to her two treasure bags as we sprinted through town. I released one big huff as we came closer to the docks, several small boats appearing in our line of sight. We stopped in front of two average-sized travel ships that were just big enough for a few people, but definitely weren't going to make it to Grand Line.

A few minutes after we had reached the boats, we were met with three rough-looking pirate men, members of the Buggy Pirates. They said that they were 'taking us prisoner, stealing our treasure, and gonna' teach us brats a lesson or two'. _Yeah, and flying narwhals give birth to baby goats. _However, their threats went up in smoke when they were brought face to face with Zoro; even though he was only half-awake they still feared him. One look from the ex-pirate hunter was all it took for the 'tough' Buggy Pirates to scream and run away like three frightened little girls.

"Wow." Was all I could really say to that. I blinked, then turned to Luffy, shrugging Zoro's arm from my back. "I'll get my stuff."

"Did you sail here, too, Kori?" Nami asked, settling herself in her boat - the larger one with the Buggy Pirate flag on the sails.

I nodded and pointed to a small, beat up boat not too far from where theirs were. "Right over there." I walked over and quickly gathered my stuff. I didn't have a lot - _considering I had just broken out of the most dangerous and security-enhanced prison on the five seas a few days ago_ - so it was all easy to carry if I had to jump and run all of a sudden. The few things I had in my carry-on were my old prison clothes, a jacket, and a little spare cash. I slung my black bag over my shoulders and walked back over to the other two boats.

"That's all you have?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I nodded and dropped the small bundle into the same boat Luffy and Zoro were sitting in. I climbed into the ship and sat cross legged between my tiny bag and Zoro. Luffy and Nami carefully released the boats from the shore, allowing the crafts to toss and tip slightly in the shallow waters. Nami's ship swam near ours closely so we wouldn't get separated if anything were to happen later on as we sailed. We drifted farther and farther from the town as the current pulled us into the ocean, setting us on our journey.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Luffy shouted enthusiastically, holding onto the boat's mast as he sung happily to himself.

"Isn't that Buggy's mark on your sail there?" Zoro said to Nami, pointing to the big black sheet with a clown version of a Jolly Roger on it.

She nodded, shrugging. "Well, this is his boat. I'll get rid of it sometime."

_Sounds like a plan._ I thought as I crossed my arms behind my head.

"HEY!" Suddenly, our attention was directed back to the main docks of Port Town. There, on the edge of the decks on the beach, stood Mayor Boodle. He wasn't wearing his tacky armor anymore and he seemed to be panting, probably because he ran all the way through town so he could catch up to us before we left. "Wait, you brats!" He looked up, a real smile gracing his old features. "Thanks! We're in your debt!" He called out to us in happiness.

Luffy laughed and waved as the old man grew smaller and smaller as we sailed away. "Don't worry about it! Take it easy!" He sat back down, resting his elbows against the railing of the boat. "After all, they do have one of the treasure bags to help them out now." He mused.

Nami froze, then turned into a total spaz again as she realized that she did, in fact, only have one bag full of her pirate loot aboard her ship. "NANI?! You left one of the treasure bags?! Just one is worth 5 million Beli, you know!" She screamed in anger at the baka straw hat.

"But they need money to fix their destroyed town, right?" Luffy said honestly.

I would've give him a high five for his good, philanthropic mind, but Nami was being a stickler as she continued to take her rage out on our captain. "THAT WAS MY TREASURE!" She seethed. "Do you know how much I suffered trying to steal it?! Why did you do that?!" Nami then took Luffy's head in her hands and shoved his face into the water.

Luffy's arms and legs flailed around wildly, trying to find something to grab onto so he could pull himself back up. He failed in his efforts as Nami kept a firm grip on the back of his head, pushing his face further into the water. "STOP! I CAN'T SWIM!" Luffy screamed through mouthfuls of water.

"THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA!" Nami screamed back at him.

"IF YOU WANT IT, GO BACK AND GET IT, THEN!" Luffy shouted when Nami had loosened her grip in his hair.

She quickly shoved him back into the water again after hearing his stupid suggestion. "I CAN'T DO THAT! YOU GO GET IT! DO THAT AGAIN AND I REALLY WILL DROWN YOU INTO THE OCEAN!"

They continued bickering for a short while, not even noticing that Zoro and I were in hysterics behind them. It was just too funny to watch Nami try to drown Luffy all over a measly 5 million Beli. _Could she be any more of a drama queen over this?_ I thought as I tried to calm myself from my mad laughing spree. _Luffy should've asked her first, but whatever. Not like he can change it now._

Zoro sighed, looking up at the afternoon sky. "Well, for better or worse, looks like we've got two new nakama joining our journey." He mused to himself.

I grew somber as he smiled at me. I shook my head at him. "I'm not planning on staying long." I stated boldly.

He shrugged. "Just the same, you're joining our journey."

I rolled my eyes at him. _Yeah. I'm just wondering if that was such a good decision . . ._ I thought as we continued on our way along the ocean's surface.

'-.-'

I yawned, glancing up at the late night moon glowing brilliantly up in the sky. Puffy purple clouds passed us by as we kept sailing calmly through the sea, not even a whisper of wind disturbing the sleeping crewmembers who were curled up on the floors of the boats.

Everyone had fallen asleep hours ago, but not me. I had trouble falling asleep due to my insomnia, but staying asleep was a whole different story. Every time I closed my eyes I could see the visions of my past, haunting my precious, tiring thoughts from the long days work. So, no matter how much my body resented it, I stayed up, fighting the nightmares one day at a time until I finally passed out from exhaustion.

I was currently the only one awake, but that was only because I had offered to take the night watch in case we were bombarded by other sailors or what not. Zoro said that he would take the second half of my shift for me, but I declined, saying that he needed the sleep more than I did. _If I could protect my nakama from the nighttime darkness, then everything would possibly be alright._

_My nakama . . . I never would've thought I'd be saying that. Of course, I never would've imagined I'd join a pirate crew until just a few hours ago. God, my mother raised me well, now didn't she. Heh._ I sighed, closing my eyes for just a moment. I sure hope I'm not getting myself into any more trouble.

I glanced at the three new friends I had made earlier that day. Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all slept soundly together in the boats. I groaned. _I hope I don't mess things up for them either. If they get involved in any of my shitty problems, I don't think I'll live it down._

I slumped back into my previous position - _my head resting against the wooden ledge on the boat as one of my hands dangled over the edge_ - and allowed my fingers to play in the water. The dark liquid sloshed between my fingers as our ships continued to float against the waves, only the moonlight acting as my companion for the night.

'-.-'

"It'd be reckless to go straight into the Grand Line now!" Nami said sternly as she looked over a few maps on her boat.

I peeked one eye open at her. We had been sailing for several days straight without reaching land, so tensions were high between the four of us, not to mention we were all pretty hungry since our food supply was growing low. We hadn't seen hide nor hair of any other ship out at sea, so it wasn't hard to figure out that we were all pretty bored. Luffy wanted adventure now, but he couldn't do that if he was stuck in the middle of the East Blue. So, we had to wait for land.

"Being reckless is fun." I said, closing my eyes again so I could return to my peaceful meditation ritual. However, I guess Nami hadn't yet heard of peace as she yelled at us some more.

"No it's not!" She responded.

Luffy turned to Nami, an apple core sticking out of his mouth from his afternoon snack. He was sitting at the front of the boat, staring out into the waters in wonder. He removed the apple core from his mouth so he could talk. "Yeah, some meat would be nice to have. Eating nothing but fruit everyday is no good." He then chewed on the remaining piece of the apple, swallowing it entirely.

"We need some booze, too." Zoro said. I smirked. _Yes, yes we do._

"What're you talking about? That's not what I mean!" Nami nagged.

My eyes snapped open as she said this. I fixed her with my best puppy-dog expression and frowned. "Don't deprive us of alcohol, Nami. It's too cruel." I said pathetically.

Zoro laughed, nodding in approval at my wiseass comment to our navigator. Zoro and I had been getting along better than Luffy and Nami were, that's for sure, so we usually shared jokes and talked while the others bickered. Of course, there were the times when we disagreed and argued about some things, so whenever that happened we would just sit in silence to cool down for a bit. Not that big a deal. We were similar in some way, so I suppose that's what made us friends in the first place. Not that I minded, though. Having friends as weird as these Straw Hats was pretty nice, so I couldn't complain.

Nami sighed, looking over her maps again. "The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world! On top of that, it's crawling with strong pirates after the One Piece!" She explained. "And they're all on powerful ships, of course!"

Luffy nodded. "We need more people, too."

"The number of crewmembers, the lack of equipment on this ship . . . There's no way we could survive like this!" Nami replied.

"Yeah, we need a cook." Luffy said with a faraway look in his eye. "And a musician."

Zoro stared at Luffy. "A musician?" He laughed.

"You're all bakas." Nami muttered to herself. I glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice me as she spoke up again. "A little to the south of here is an island with people living on it. It'd be best if we can get ahold of a real ship there."

"Alright!" Luffy shouted energetically, balancing at the front of the boat, gazing out into the open sea again. "Time to eat some meat!"

"Don't forget the booze!" Zoro added.

"Yes, time to rum it up . . ." I murmured with a wry grin, my eyes closing again to resume my meditation.

Nami groaned, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. "You guys!" She whined.

_Well, at least we get to stop somewhere on our lame journey. I just hope there aren't any Marines in that town . . ._

TO BE CONTINUED

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

**[AU: Changed Kori's bio a bit.]**

[AU: I promised that I'd explain more about Kori, so here goes . . .]

_Kori Eternus:_

_Age: 18_

_Hair: Black; bangs covering left eye; long; usually worn down, in a ponytail, or braid_

_Eyes: Purple (previously green; red)_

_Skin: Pale_

_Height: 5'2"_

_Body: Thin; curvy; strong_

_Tattoos: None_

_Scars: Bite marks behind the neck and on upper back_

_Piercings: Belly ring; two lip rings; nose ring; tongue ring; five earrings; stud in chest_

_Crew: Mugiwara Pirate Crew (Straw Hats)_

_Bounty: B200, 000, 000 (Beli) [by first story]_

_Powers: Shadows; Darkness; Acid/Venom; Control_

_Skills: Stealth; flexibility; manipulation; fighting; acting; singing; drinking; meditation_

_Fighting: Hands-on; weapons (additional); powers_

_Family: Oruna (mother); Leon (father, deceased); Kurogane (eldest brother); Erii (older sister); Tomoyo (older brother); Yukito (older brother); Rei (younger sister); Ryuo (younger brother); Maru (younger sister); Nyra (younger sister)_

_Fears: Ryuk; loud noises; closed-in spaces; the smell of blood; silence_

_Pet peeves: Dictators; gossip; prejudice; gross habits; the sun_

[I didn't want to make her bounty as high as it is, but considering her involvement with the Marines, I thought it was an appropriate amount. I'm not trying to make her insanely awesome or cooler than any other One Piece characters, I'm just writing about my OC here. Luffy is still the most awesome character, so it's going to remain that way! Haha! I'm not going to let her life history slip just yet because it'll come up in later chapters. And no, she does not have a Devil Fruit power. Her natural eye colour is green, but turned purple after her life with the Marines.]

[Anyways! Review, alert, favourite, anything! It would be most appreciated and I hope you enjoyed this story so far! I'll update Chapter 5 when I can, I promise. Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	5. Chapter 5

[AU: Chapter 5 is here now! Yay! Anyway, I'm probably not going to be updating this again until after the new year, so just letting you know that Chapter 6 won't be up for another couple weeks. Plus, I'm still reviewing the episodes so I get everything right and it stays cannon, so that usually takes a few days to plan out and blah, blah, blah. Thank you and read on.]

[This chapter has been revised.]

We pulled our boats up on the shore of the beach since there seemed to be no docking station on the island we had arrived at. We all got out and stretched our legs, having been denied from stepping on land again since our departure from Port Town. I cracked my stiff muscles, sighing in contentment at the feel of the unhinged joints in my body. The shoreline was peaceful, free of people or wildlife everywhere. There was a dirt path on the steep hill leading up the mountain, most likely to the local village Nami had talked about. Cliffs flanked either side of the path, making it a closed-in road up the slope.

Zoro stretched his hands up over his head, popping his rigid muscles as well. "Finally on dry land again." He said in relief.

"There's a village past there?" Luffy said, gazing up at the road on the hill that led towards the town.

"Yeah. It looks like it's a small one, though." Nami said, checking over her maps again.

"Oh!" Luffy entered Nami's personal bubble, practically drooling from his happiness. "In that case, meat, meat, meat! Meat, meat, meat!" He chanted to his navigator.

Nami looked thoroughly annoyed, pushing Luffy out of her space desperately. "Forget about meat for a minute, would you?"

The two continued to go back and forth at each other, arguing about things that didn't really matter, when I felt a presence up on the mountain tops. They felt weak, barely radiating any strong fighting auras from their bodies, so I was guessing there were only a few people hiding. Despite this, I curled my hands into fists, ready to take on whatever threat was coming our way.

"Huh? What's up with you?" Zoro asked me, having took notice of my stiff posture and on-guard expression. He stood only a few inches away from me, flexing his arms above his head, casting me a confused gaze.

"Shhhh!" I whispered quietly. "Listen."

He froze, doing as he was told. The trees and bushes above us rustled for a moment, moving in our direction hastily. Zoro settled his gaze at whatever threat may be hiding in the bushes, snapping one of his katanas open at the ready. He glanced over his shoulder at Nami and Luffy, murmuring. "Careful. I sense people."

Nami and Luffy quieted down at Zoro's words, glancing around curiously to find the people we were sensing. Luffy's head snapped from left to right in search of other human life around eagerly. "Where? Where? Where?" He repeated over and over again.

I heard something clink together, a strange rubbery noise reaching my ears after a moment. Before Zoro was able say anything, I turned around quickly towards Luffy. "Watch out!"

Suddenly, small round pebbles came shooting from out of nowhere, spitting against the sand at Luffy's feet. Luffy, who didn't know what to do, danced in his spot, trying to avoid getting hit by whatever was flying at him. Then, all of a sudden, the pebbles stopped falling. We all looked up to see a boy, clothed in brown overalls, a white sash around his waist, and shiny boots standing on the edge of the mountain top. He gazed down at us, a dark smirk adorning his tanned face. His left arm was covered by a white and blue striped arm band, and he carried a mustard yellow satchel on his hip. His hair was black and curly, hidden under a green bandana on his head, and he had the longest nose I had ever seen on a human before. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't recall where I had seen him before.

Luffy seemed impressed by this mysterious guy, however. "Sugoi!" He exclaimed in wonder.

"Is this the time to be impressed?!" Nami said crossly.

The boy on the mountain chuckled at us, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am Usopp, the leader of the great pirates who reign over this village!" He said, his chin held high in the air in triumph. "People praise me - and then praise me more - as 'Captain Usopp'!"

"Huh?" Luffy mumbled.

_I'm with Luffy there. Who does this guy think he is?_

"If you're thinking of attacking this village, then forget it!" The boy, Usopp, continued in the same egotistical tone. "My 80 million subordinates won't sit by quietly!" Then, large black flags, showing a spooky looking Jolly Roger, popped up from the bushes on the mountain, appearing six at a time. Pretty soon the whole hill was covered in fluttering black pirate flags blowing in the wind behind Usopp, standing proudly in the morning sun.

"SUGOI!" Luffy said, smiling brilliantly at Usopp.

I shook my head at Luffy's stupid, child-like antics. _Is he really this gullible?_

Nami seemed to see through Usopp's lame declaration, as well. She grinned up at the long-nosed boy, hands on her hips. "You're lying, aren't you?"

That was all it took for Usopp, the 'brave captain of his village', to flinch and begin to sweat in fear. "Yikes!" He murmured just loud enough for us to hear. "She saw through it!"

"See, you admitted it." Nami continued, giggling.

"Nani?!" Luffy cried, clearly disappointed. "He was lying?!"

"Curse you, you crafty tactician!" Usopp growled at us, raising his fists in the air. "80 million may have been an exaggeration, but I do have great men under my command!"

I snorted, giving him a dark glare as he still looked down at us as if he ruled the world. "Like maybe three people?" I said easily.

A choir of little shrieks were heard from the bushes, and up popped three young boys. One of them had light hair, combed down neatly, and wore glasses. Another had tan skin and wild pepper green hair. The last boy was slightly taller the other two, wearing a red cap over his shaggy purple hair that covered his eyes. They were all shaking in their shoes, clearly terrified just seeing real life pirates on their beach. "SHE SAW THROUGH IT!" They shrieked in unison. "RUN!" They then took off like fucking bullets down the road to their village, screaming at the top of their little-boy lungs.

Usopp looked positively horrified, shaking slightly as he yelled at his comrades who had ran away. "Hey, you guys! Don't run away!"

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. My wrist cuffs dug into my skin, the spikes shifting against my arm sleeves sharply. _I'm really starting to hate these things._ I ignored the pain and focused on Nami, who had picked up one of the pebbles Usopp had fired at Luffy.

Nami blew off the sand, revealing a shiny, black bee-bee pellet. "I've never heard of a pirate using a slingshot before." She said in awe, studying the round ball carefully.

"You're neat!" Luffy said enthusiastically to Usopp.

"Hey, you!" Usopp said, looking somewhat offended. "Don't insult me! I'm a very proud man! Because of my great pride, people call me 'Proud Usopp'! You saw it yourself just now! My slingshot skills are far greater than your average pistol!" Then, with the same determined frown on his face, he pulled out his slingshot, aiming in our direction. He placed a pellet between the rubber band and prepared to fire.

Luffy pulled his hat lower over his eyes, speaking in a very serious tone. "Now that you've drawn your pistol, put your life on the line." When Usopp just looked confused, Luffy continued. "I'm saying those aren't for threatening people."

I smirked. _Wow . . ._

Zoro opened one of his katanas from it's sheath, sending Usopp the same serious expression Luffy wore. "What you're looking at now are real pirates."

I uncrossed my arms, hooking my thumbs on the back pockets of my pants, and glared up at the bizarre long-nosed boy. "So if you wanna' fire at us, then go right ahead. We're not stopping you." I said, my voice deep and dangerous, as it usually was.

Usopp's expression was priceless. He still held fire, but began shaking, hesitating in his shot. I could see the gears in his head turn as he rethought his actions, probably wondering if he should really attack three deadly pirates, all of whom could easily beat his ass into the ground. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead until he finally dropped the bee-bee pellet from the rubber band, letting it hit the grass next to him. He dropped his head in shame, water coming to his eyes, mumbling to himself. "Real pirates definitely have way more punch behind their words. Sugoi."

Luffy, Zoro, and I all shared a knowing look before we all began snickering. _Usopp looked so defeated. I can't believe he's never heard that speech before._ I thought as I continued to giggle at the poor boy's expense. Needless to say, Usopp looked very confused.

"We stole those lines!" Luffy finally said. "From Shanks, a pirate I respect!"

"Shanks?!" Usopp shouted, a mixture of shock and awe clouding his wide eyes. "You know Red Haired Shanks, the great pirate?!"

"Yeah." Luffy said. "Your dad's Yasopp, right?"

_So that's why he looks so familiar . . ._

"EH?!" Usopp screeched, leaning over the edge of the cliff top. However, he should've been paying more attention to where he stepped, because two seconds later he lost his balance and fell right off the mountain. He tumbled down the rough rocks, rolling in uncoordinated circles until he finally reached the ground, landing on his head. He fell on his back, rubbing his sore skull as he looked at Luffy. "Yeah, Yasopp is my old man." He said, seeming to be perfectly fine. "But how do you know that?"

Luffy smiled brilliantly again, crossing his arms behind his head. "Get us some meat and I'll tell you."

I slapped my palm to my forehead. _Of course._

'-.-'

"I met him when I was a kid!" Luffy explained, chewing on a piece of meat over his plate.

Usopp had taken us into his village just up the path, directing us to the only restaurant on the island. We chose a booth, considering we were the only customers in the deserted food shop, and sat down immediately to order food. I took a seat next to Luffy, sitting across from Nami and Zoro, and Usopp pulled up a chair next to us. We all ordered an array of different foods, from fruits and vegetables to meats and breads, but eventually - _no thanks to Luffy's large stomach_ - most of it was gone within a few minutes.

I swallowed the remainder of my meal as I listened to Luffy and Usopp chat about the infamous red-haired pirate.

"So my old man's on Shanks ship?" Usopp asked eagerly, his mouth full of food, as well.

"Yep!" Luffy replied, pieces of meat stuck to his lips as he talked. "You guys look the same, so when I first saw you, I wondered."

"Really?!" Usopp said enthusiastically. _He seriously looked like he was about to wreck his pants._ "My old man's on such an awesome ship?!" _Wow, this guy needs to get a hobby._

Luffy finished off his slab of meat and reached for an apple on the table. "I dunno' about now, but I bet he's still with him. After all, your dad was a good sharpshooter! Usopp, I heard enough about you to make my ears sore. Yasopp was a great pirate!" He then ate the apple whole.

"Yeah, huh?!" Usopp said, grinning with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "I'm proud of my old man, who leapt onto those possibly endless seas to live with his life on the line!" He had a very faraway look in his eyes as he spoke about his father, obviously very proud of him. _I would be, too, if I was in his shoes right now._

"Then that makes it easier." Nami chimed in as she took one last bite of her meal. "Do you have any friends in this village who know how to sail or anyone who can supply a big ship?" She asked, batting her big, brown eyes at him.

I rolled my eyes, gulping down my mug of rum in one swig.

Usopp gazed out the window, resting his chin in his hand as he took in the scenery of the little town. "As you can see, it's a tiny village. Sorry, but we can't live up to your hopes."

I didn't know if it was my instincts or the fact that he was a known liar, but somehow I knew he was fibbing.

"On the top of the hill." Zoro said, looking out the window as well. I saw Usopp flinch reflexively. _Oh, the jig is up now._ "There was a huge mansion."

"Say! Do you know them, Usopp?" Nami asked, clapping her hands together. She gave him one of her sickeningly sweet smiles as she went on cheerfully. "Think you could ask them to help pay for one?"

"You can't go there!" Usopp exclaimed. He was one hundred percent serious, not even an ounce of hesitation in his eyes as he told us off. After an awkwardly quiet moment, his expression softened as he laughed nervously. "I just remembered something I hafta' do! I have lots of influence here! Eat and drink as much as you want! Alright!" He grabbed his satchel and ran out the door. "Later!"

The four of us remained quiet for several seconds, staring at the door Usopp had ran through in his mad rush. Nami was the first one to speak after the short silence in the restaurant. "Why was he in such a rush?" She said aloud to herself.

"If that's not suspicious, then I don't know what is." I said as I refilled my cup full of rum.

We finished our meals soon afterwards, sharing jokes and plans about what to get in this town while we were here. Of course Luffy only wanted meat, meat, and, wouldn't you know it, more meat, along with a big ship that we could sail on. Zoro and I agreed that we just wanted more alcohol on board, along with space to actually train, sleep, and move around freely. _Sailing in those small boats is just depressing since there's no room and no privacy._ Nami didn't agree with our casual requests, trying to get us to buckle down and focus on the essential things that we needed first before thinking about second-hand valuables.

I was half-listening to her - _listening with interest as she listed the equipment we had to buy before we set sail again_ - while the other half of my mind was still concerned about the journey ahead of me. I had been thinking about what I was going to do when I finally made it back home. _I think I've sunk myself too far into this damn pirate crew to get out of it so easily. Do I even want to leave? No. I need to find my family, along with the dumbass I call my best friend, before I even think about sticking with these weirdos._

My thoughts were interrupted when the front doors to the restaurant suddenly slammed open. The four of us all turned to stare at the sudden intrusion with interest. In the doorway stood the three young boys who had been with Usopp on the mountain earlier, each one of them holding fake wooden swords in their hands. They pointed the weapons in our direction threateningly. "The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" They exclaimed in unison.

Nami turned around in her seat. "What's going on?" She murmured.

The boys, who previously all wore very brave and triumphant expressions, now looked like they were about to throw up. "The captain is gone!" One of them said. "You don't think he . . .?" The three boys then scurried over to our table, wielding their swords at us again. "Hey, pirates! What'd you do with our Captain Usopp?!"

Before we could respond, Luffy slammed down his cup and sighed in contentment. "That meat was yummy!" He said, rubbing his full belly in satisfaction.

"Meat?!" The kids yelled, shaking as they stared at Luffy in fear. "Don't tell me the captain . . ."

"NANI?!" The boy with green hair shrieked, the two other kids hiding behind him. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

_Oh, how I love this._ I tapped Zoro with one of my boots under the table, catching his attention at once. I nodded over to the kids, giving him an evil smirk and a wink. He understood immediately and rested his head in his hands, glancing at the young boys as they all cowered at the sight of us. I leaned forward, my position similar to Zoro's, and just smirked at the kids. I could feel my eyes liquefy from their typical violet colour to the crimson demon red they usually turned when I got feisty.

He gave them the creepiest grin in the world, his eyes falling into the shadow of his hair, and spoke in a very natural and creepy tone. "If you're looking for your captain . . ."

" . . .We ate him!" I finished for him, appearing just as demented as the man sitting across from me.

That was all it took for the three kids to scream out in terror. They glanced at Nami, who had been smiling at their silly childish antics, and all yelped in unison. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ONIBABA!"

Nami really didn't appreciate that title name. She balled her hands into fists and glared at the three boys menacingly. "WHAT'RE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR?!" The boys then all fell over - possibly fainting - in fright at Nami's angry outburst.

Luffy, Zoro, and I all began laughing hysterically after seeing the boys horrified expressions. _Priceless! That was better than the time I told Ryuo I was getting arrested for not doing my chores._ I looked back up at Zoro and grinned, another chuckle escaping my lips. He smirked at me in return, running a hand through his moss-green hair.

Nami turned back to the three of us, seething in anger. "You just had to say something stupid!"

That just sent us into another fit of laughter.

'-.-'

"It's huge!" Luffy exclaimed, one hand on his head as he stared up at the mansion in wonder.

When the three boys - _whose names were Pepper, Onion, and Carrot, apparently_ - had finally come around from their shocked state, they demanded that we tell them where their captain was. We explained that Usopp had just ran away from the restaurant, saying that he had to do something important. The green haired boy, Pepper - _Well t__hat name fits_ - smiled and said that he'd take us to where Usopp was, which just so happened to be at the mansion he said he hadn't known about earlier.

We now stood outside the gates of the big, yellow mansion on the hill near the village. All was quiet as we strode up to the house, no security men or caretakers to be seen around the perimeter of the building whatsoever. _At least we won't get in trouble if we aren't allowed to be here._

"If our captain ran off at this hour, he'd be here." The blonde boy with glasses, Onion - _why is it that all their names match what they look like?_ - said with a smile.

"Oh?" Luffy said, looking down at the kid curiously. "What's he come here for?"

"To lie!" The purple haired boy, Carrot, said.

_Seriously, do these boys' parents hate them? Who names their kids after vegetables?_

"That's a bad thing!" Nami said, hands placed on her hips again.

"He's not bad!" Pepper said, smiling brightly. "He's great! Right?"

"Yeah! He's great!" Onion replied.

"How does that work?" Zoro asked, looking officially confused.

The boys each took turns telling what was probably the most unusual story I'd ever heard in my life. "Kaya, the girl who lives here, is weak, and she's had depression ever since her parents died from an illness a year ago. Even though she has lots of money, she's so sad. So our captain tells her his special made-up stories to make her laugh! 'Cause our captain's the best at telling lies!"

_Well, can't argue with that._ I thought as Usopp's three followers all smiled with pride and joy.

"Oh, so he's great." Luffy said as soon as the boys finished the tale.

"Yeah!" Carrot said. "I like the captain's meddling side!"

"I like his bossy side!" Pepper added.

"I like his exaggerating side!" Onion finished.

"So that's helped her feel a little better?" Nami asked nicely, a smile ready to break onto her lips.

"Yeah, a lot better!" Pepper responded.

"Great!" Luffy said, grinning from ear to ear again. "Let's ask her for a ship after all!"

"It's thanks to Usopp that she's gotten better." Zoro interjected, leaning against a nearby tree in a bored, slumped position. I had been standing beside him in the shade, hands in my pockets as I remained silent while the three junior pirates explained everything to our baka captain.

"Just getting in is impossible!" The kids all said. "There are way strong guards at the gate!"

_Umm, no there aren't._

However, it seem that the boys' little announcement didn't seem to phase Luffy, as he then attempted to climb over the fence in order to get in to the mansion. "I'll go ask!" He proclaimed, already halfway up the black iron bars.

Apparently Nami, Zoro, and the three kids didn't find Luffy's idea of how to get into the courtyard a practical idea. They all rushed and tried to pull him back down, but their efforts were futile as his arms simply stretched as they pulled him back. I quirked an eyebrow as the boys all screamed in shock at seeing somebody's arms stretch like rubber. Nevertheless, since Luffy had been pulled down, he proceeded with his plan.

"Gomu Gomu No . . ." He started, much to the aggressive complaints from Nami and Zoro. Then, Luffy let go of the bars and all six of the ahos were launched into the air like a catapult. I could barely hear Luffy scream out. "Pardon the intrusion!" As they began to fall away from my line of sight.

I huffed out a frustrated sigh. _I'll go get them._ I thought as I climbed the gates easily. I hopped over the edge, barely breaking a sweat, and dropped to the ground safely. _I knew those sneak attack lessons I learned in prison would be worth it one day._ I smirked and began to search the area for the rest of my imbecilic crew.

After just a short walk through the fresh flower garden I found them. Six useless bodies were compacted into the cement just outside of the building, all lying lifelessly on the ground. Eventually they all came back to their senses and stood up, brushing the dirt away from their clothes and rubbing any sore spots they had gotten after they had fallen.

I chuckled, standing over them with my hands on my hips. "See, this is why I wasn't panicking over Luffy's idea of how to get into the mansion." I teased, ignoring Nami and Zoro's death glares. "You could've easily just climbed over the fence instead of hitting the dead pavement like you did."

"Shut up!" Zoro muttered, cracking his neck as he stood up again.

Luffy had recovered from the crash first, not even a scratch on him as he looked around. After a moment, he sprinted towards a tree where Usopp sat, facing an open window where a blonde girl stood in front of him. The rest of us all went over to see what was going on and arrived just in time to hear Luffy asking the girl for something. "I'm here to ask a favour!"

"A favour? Of me?" She said. I assumed this was Kaya, the sick girl the boys had talked about earlier. However, as she spoke, I noticed that Usopp was slyly creeping around the tree, hiding from us for whatever reason.

"Yeah!" Luffy said, enthusiasm lighting his features. "We want a big ship."

Before Kaya could respond, a deep, masculine voice sounded behind us, interrupting our conversation. "You, there!" We all turned around to see a tall man with slick, jet black hair and glasses standing several yards away from us. He wore a nice black suit, so I assumed he was an employer or guardian from the mansion. But the odd thing about him was the way he pushed up his glasses when they slipped down his nose. He always used the heel of his palm to push them up rather than using his fingers. _Well that's suspicious. _"What are you doing?!"

"Klahadore." Kaya murmured.

"I don't appreciate you breaking in here without permission!" The tall man, Klahadore, said in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Who's he?" Luffy said boldly, pointing at the new arrival before us.

No one acknowledged Luffys' question whatsoever.

"Actually, Klahadore, these people are-" Kaya began.

"That can wait for now." Klahadore interrupted, pushing his glasses up with his hand again. _So bizarre …_ "I can hear all about your reasons later. Now leave, all of you! Or do you have something to say?" He snapped at us.

"Well, actually, we want a ship!" Luffy said, not at all phased by the mans' rude attitude.

"No!" Klahadore responded at once. He then looked behind us towards the tree near Kaya's window. "Usopp!"

"CRAP!" Usopp cried out, crawling back to the branch he had been previously sitting on.

"I've heard all about you." Klahadore said, fixing the long-nosed boy with an intense stare. "You're well-known in the village."

"Yeah?" Usopp responded conceitedly.

"I hear you've been on many adventures. Quite impressive for someone so young." The strange butler continued.

"You can call me Captain Usopp, too! Since you admire me so much!" Usopp proclaimed with a grin.

"Captain, huh?" Klahadore muttered. "I've heard all about your father, as well."

"Nani?" Usopp's grin faded at hearing this.

"Klahadore! Stop!" Kaya shouted at her guardian desperately.

The asshole with glasses took no notice of the mistress' command and continued without hesitation. "You're nothing but the son of a filthy pirate!" He sneered at Usopp threateningly. "Nothing you do will surprise me, but I ask that you stay away from the lady of this house! She and you are from completely different worlds! Is it money you're after? How much do you want?"

"That's enough, Klahadore!" Kaya shouted in anger, appalled. "Apologize at once!"

"What reason is there to apologize to this savage man, my lady?" Klahadore responded. "I am merely stating the truth. I feel for you." He then turned back to Usopp with another unfriendly gleam in his eyes. "You must truly hate your great baka of a father for abandoning his family and village because of his lust for treasure!"

Usopp literally looked ready to blow his top. "Don't you dare insult my father any more!" He seethed. He snapped his satchel open and pulled out what seemed to be some kind of grappling hook. He clicked it onto the edge of Kaya's windowsill and propelled down until he reached the ground. The grappling hook retracted back into his bag at the push of a button and was enclosed inside the bag once again. Usopp stood in front of us, facing Klahadore with a menacing expression.

"What are you getting unnecessarily riled up for?" Klahadore taunted. "Why not simply tell another of your special lies at a time like this? About how your father is really a traveling salesman, or how you're not really related by blood."

"SHUT UP!" Usopp yelled, furious to no end. He ran forward and delivered a hard punch to the man's face, sending him to the ground in a matter of seconds. Kaya and the others all gasped at the sight, except for Luffy and myself. _The guy had it coming to him._

Klahadore sat up, rubbing at the mark Usopp had left on his face. "See! You immediately resort to violence! Like father, like son!"

"Shut up!" Usopp screamed. I could see him trembling in anger, his hands still balled into fists. "I'm proud that my father is a pirate! I'm proud that he's a brave warrior of the sea! You're right, I am an exaggerator! But I'll never lie about my pride to be related by blood to a pirate! I'm the son of a pirate!"

I couldn't help but smile inwardly at Usopp. _The amount of respect he has for his father is just amazing. This boy certainly knows what's going good for him, at least._

Klahadore had stood back up, fixing his glasses once again with the heel of his hand and dusting the dirt from his clothes. "A pirate, a brave warrior of the sea? That's quite a twisted way of putting things." He mocked cruelly. "But you're the undeniable proof of his savage blood! You run around spouting lies and act violent whenever you're angry! And to top it off, you cozy up to the lady of this house so you can get her fortune! The fact that your father is a pirate is more than enough proof that you'd hatch such a scheme!"

_That accusation was seriously uncalled for, dude …_ I thought as Usopp grabbed Klahadore by the collar.

"Damn it!" Usopp yelled. "You still won't shut up?!"

He prepared to punch the man in the face again, but was stopped when Kaya shrieked out in terror from her window. "STOP! USOPP!" The boy turned around hastily to see his blonde friend leaning out the window, fear written all over her features. "Please, no more violence! Klahadore isn't a bad person! He's just trying too hard to do what's best for me!"

Usopp slowly released his hold on Klahadore's black blazer, lowering his fist in defeat. The man brushed Usopps hand away from his throat and glared viciously. "Leave this place! Never come near this mansion again!" He commanded.

"Yeah, I get it." Usopp said, walking away from the house steadily. "I don't need you to tell me! I'll never come back here again!"

Kaya looked positively heartbroken as she watched Usopp leave the grounds, saying nothing in response to his declaration. Nevertheless, Klahadore's stupid remark didn't stop the three kids - _or Luffy, for that matter_ - from assaulting him.

"You stupid butler jerk! Our captain's not that kind of guy!" They shouted. "Yeah, baka! Baka!"

"Baka!" Luffy shouted with them.

Zoro and I pulled Luffy back by the collar so he wouldn't try to run at that bastard of a butler. _We really didn't need to get kicked off this island when we just got here, so no need to make it worse._ "Why're you saying it, too?" Zoro said as Luffy continued to struggle in our firm grips around his shoulders.

According to Klahadore's annoyed expression, I'm guessing he had seen enough excitement for one day as he yelled at us to get out of the mansion as well. Zoro and I still held onto Luffy as we retreated from the mansion grounds with Nami and the kids following close behind. By the time the gates closed behind us the marimo and I released the struggling Luffy, who just pouted, swearing at the dumbass under his breath. _He seems very disappointed, but I don't think it has anything to do with not getting the ship that he wanted._

_Oh well …_ I sighed as we made our way back through the village in silence.

TO BE CONTINUED

**One-shots**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

**[AU: Lots of grammar changes, but nothing has really been changed from the initial story itself.]**

[AU: Hope you guys liked this chapter! I intentionally wrote it out longer than the previous chapters so I could get this part of the series going as fast as possible. I don't want this story to be a hundred chapters long - that'd just get boring after a while. Anyway! There is a poll on my profile about this story, so you should check that out, along with my other one-shots from this series, such as 'Loving Inebriation' and the soon to be published story 'Loving Innocence' for all you LuNa lovers out there! I'm going to set up the link to be DA account soon so you can see what Kori looks like, so be patient about that. Favourite, alert the story, review, anything, please! Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	6. Chapter 6

[AU: I know I said that I wouldn't update this story until after the new year, but I've been writing so much on this story that I just couldn't help myself. Here is Chapter 6, but I most definitely won't be updating any more until after the new year, and I mean it this time! This chapter kinda' sucks, but I don't really care. It's good enough for me. Haha. Happy holidays to everyone who's reading this story! Thank you and read on.]

**[AU: I've been trying to update this more often, but I somehow always manage to forget about it because I get sidetracked. So! I promise I won't do that anymore … and I mean it this time. Arigato!]**

[This chapter has been revised.]

"Hey, where'd Luffy go?" Nami asked suddenly.

I looked up at her expectedly. I hadn't even noticed that Luffy wasn't with us until our navigator had mentioned it. After we had been kicked out the mansion grounds by that asshole of a guardian, Klahadore, the seven of us kept walking until we stopped at a fence line just outside of the town. Nami had hopped up on top of the fence while Zoro and the kids all sat in the grass, their backs propped up against the wooden railing. I sat several feet in between the boys and the marimo swordsman, crossing my legs in a comfortable position. I had let my head sling forward as I closed my eyes, preparing for my daily meditating routine, but I guess I wasn't allowed to get a little peace of mind with Nami around.

"Who knows." Zoro responded, shifting in his lounging position. "Probably ran after that 'captain'."

"Our captain would be at his spot." Pepper said. We turned to him, wondering what in the world he could mean, when he began conversing with his friend Carrot instead of speaking with us. "Yeah, the shore. He always goes there when something happens." They turned back to us. "Wanna' check it out?"

"Nah, that's okay." I murmured, resuming my previous calm state of mind so I could meditate once more.

"But never mind that, isn't one of you missing?" Nami said.

She spoke the truth, for it seemed the third link to the trio, Onion, had disappeared near the same time as Luffy had. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that they were nodding at Nami about her proclamation. "Yeah, Onion! He always just ups and disappears. Yeah, and then he shows up all freaked out."

The nice, quiet atmosphere around us suddenly crumbled as a loud, high-pitched scream rang through the afternoon air. _Well, of course it had to be Onion. I'm pretty sure Luffy's voice can't hit a pitch that high._ Seeing as how I wasn't going to be getting any peace and quiet any time soon, I forced open my eyes to see Onion panting heavily in front of his comrades. "Bad news!" He gasped. "A backwards guy! A weird guy is backwards walking this way! It's the truth! Just look!"

The blonde boy was right, for there was indeed a man walking backwards in our general direction on the road to town. He stopped his strange backwards walking when he passed us on the side of the road, turning to the six of us with an annoyed expression. "Oi! Who's calling me a weird guy? I am not weird!" Now that I had a better view of the man, I saw that he wore a white shirt, green cargo pants with a belt, and black shoes with socks. A navy blue coat was slung over his shoulders loosely, gold circles lining the edge of the right side of the jacket. A matching blue hat adorned his head, brown worker gloves clothed his hands, and he wore freaky heart-shaped glasses over his eyes. But what was even freakier was that he had the weirdest chin I had ever seen on a person before.

_He looks like one of those old pharaoh guys in ancient textbooks or something._ "Seems pretty weird to me." I said after studying him.

The backwards guy didn't seem to appreciate my rude comment very much. "Don't be stupid. I'm just an ordinary, passing-by hypnotist."

"Hypnotist?!" Carrot, Onion, and Pepper are squealed in unison. "Sugoi! Show us something!"

"Nani? Don't be dumb! Why should I have to reveal my techniques to a bunch of strangers?" The hypnotist said with his creepy pharaoh chin lifted in the air. _He's certainly arrogant enough to be a hypnotist._ He then pulled out a round, golden disc on a string, pinching the end of the delicate thread between his fingertips. "Alright. Watch this ring closely. You'll feel sleepy at the count of 'one, two, Jango'." He told the kids, swinging the gold ring back and forth. "Alright, here we go! One, two, Jango!"

**BAM!** The three boys and the hypnotist all dropped like rocks onto the roadway, falling asleep instantly.

"Jeez, what's with this guy?" Zoro said, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead after having witnessed the kids and the hypnotist himself fall under the sleeping spell.

"If he calls himself a hypnotist, then he's gonna' have to do better than that." I said. _Hell, my younger sister Rei is a better hypnotist than these guys, and her dances only capture the attention of perverted males …_

After a moment of loud, obnoxious snoring - _coming from the four unconscious bodies on the ground_ - the hypnotist woke up, stood up, and bowed to us. "Arigato." He then began to backwards walk his way down the road once more, leaving the pirate youngsters asleep on the ground.

Soon after he left, however, they all sat upward, rubbing their eyes from the short nap. They sat with us again near the fence in silence, not mentioning anything about the strange man who had just appeared.

"Captain sure is late." Carrot said aloud, twiddling with his thumbs in his lap.

"Luffy is, too." Zoro responded, staring up at the blue sky.

"Maybe the shock was just too great." Onion said. "Whenever he gets upset, he always heads for the coast and stares at the ocean."

Suddenly, loud footsteps were heard from afar, running at a fast pace. We all turned and saw that it was Usopp who was responsible for the giant footfalls, sprinting across the dirt road as if his life depended on it. He looked very determined, almost livid as he passed us to sprint into the village.

"What's this?" Zoro said, staring at Usopp as he approached us. "Isn't Luffy supposed to be with him?"

"Where's Luffy?" Nami called out to Usopp. "Didn't he go to the coast with you?" He ignored her questions, not stopping to even notice us near the fencepost. The long-nosed guy just kept running and running down the road until he just turned into a little dot along the horizon. "You suppose he's still angry about having his father insulted and all?" Nami continued, puzzled.

"Beats me." Zoro replied, staring down the path where Usopp had disappeared.

My nose scrunched up slightly in confusion. _Something's wrong._ I thought, putting two and two together.

The kids seemed to agree with my raging thoughts as they took turns speaking. "His expression was different. Ah, something must've happened! What could have changed his expression like that?"

Zoro stood up, his katanas clinking together as he did so. "Oi, how do we get to the coast?" He said to the pirate trio. They, however, chose to huddle together and converse amongst themselves, exchanging information that was already well-known by all of us. Zoro began to get frustrated. "Just tell us how to get there!"

"Way to keep it cool, aho." I muttered as I saw multiple veins pop against his forehead.

"Whatever." Zoro replied, clearly miffed about being ignored as he avoided my gaze.

'-.-'

"This place is pretty steep." I stated, looking over the edge of the cliff drop. Carrot, Onion, and Pepper had led us to Usopp's secret spot along the mountain side. The area was pretty bare, save for a few stray logs, trees, and bushes, but I had to admit, Usopp did pick a great spot to hide away to. The view of the sea was simply gorgeous, day or night, so I couldn't blame him for coming to a place so exiled from his village.

"That it is." Nami responded, glancing down the side of the mountain just a few feet from me.

"Kori, Nami, be careful there." Zoro called out to us.

I turned around and gave a wry smirk at his somewhat cautious expression. "We're big girls, Zoro. We can take care of ourselves." I taunted. I then saw him scowl at me, his cheeks flushing slightly as he looked away, muttering to himself.

I raised an eyebrow. _Well that's new …_

"Look!" Nami gasped. "Over there!" She pointed down the cliff side to the beach below. The six of us all leaned over the edge of the cliff carefully to see what Nami was looking at. At first all we saw was jagged rocks and the shoreline, but upon closer inspection there was the outline of a person down there, lying face down in the sand. We then realized that the person was actually Luffy, who had somehow managed to sink his head down into the ground of the shoreline.

"Nani?" Zoro muttered, squinting his eyes at Luffy down at the rocks.

_Oh, shit, here we go._

Rushing down to the beach we saw that our captain was, indeed, head deep into the sand, his backside pointing up at the sky. Nami was the first one to run to Luffy's aid in the dirt, followed by the kids and then Zoro. I lingered in the background, leaning against the mountain as I watched our mikan-haired navigator freaking out.

_It's not like he's dead …_

"Quiet!" Zoro commanded, staring at Luffy intently. Nami obeyed the swordsman's order, the kids following suit, and just stayed silent for a few moments. The only thing that could be heard then was the soft sound of snoring coming from the unconscious boy in front of us. Zoro chuckled, grabbing one of his katanas and began poking Luffy in the legs. "This guy . . ."

Nami and the junior pirates all squealed when Luffy roughly pulled his head up from the ground, bits of sand clinging to his messy black hair. He sighed in contentment, stretching his arms out as he sat upright. "Morning!"

_Pffffft, wow._

'-.-'

"KAYA WILL BE KILLED?! THE VILLAGE WIL BE ATTACKED?! IS THIS FOR REAL?!" Each of the boys said, taking turns shrieking out in panic as Luffy concluded his story.

"Yup, that's what they said." Luffy replied. "No doubt about it."

It seemed that Luffy had followed Usopp to his spot on the cliff side and sat to talk with him about what had happened in the courtyard before. They talked for a while, then were interrupted when they heard voices on the beach below them. The two baka captains had overheard Klahadore - _who was apparently a pirate named Captain Kuro_ - and the hypnotist, Jango, discussing their horrid plan of overthrowing the town and stealing Kaya's entire fortune. Usopp had run away to warn his village that pirates were coming - _Kuro was the captain of the Black Cat Pirates_ - but Luffy had tried, and failed, to scare Klahadore away from the town, promising to kick his ass later. Luffy had no recollection of what happened afterwards, cutting off any more information that may have been passed on during the little fiasco on the mountain.

"By the way, how did you end up snoozing off here?" Zoro said, glancing up and the cliff, then back to Luffy again.

"About that . . ." Luffy laughed nervously, placing his hat back on his head. "I thought I was still on the cliff all along . . . Now, how in the world did I get down here?"

"Aren't you guys fortunate to have heard all this beforehand?" Nami said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together happily. "Now we can escape before they attack. They got careless."

I rolled my eyes at her, glaring. "You really think that's the answer? To just leave while this village could possibly perish?" I said, purposely spitting acid at her.

"They didn't ask us to help them, so I see no reason to stay any longer than necessary." She replied, smiling at me, a harsh glint in her eye.

I was about ready to chew her head off when Luffy jumped up suddenly. "Oh no!"

"Nani?" Zoro asked.

"If we don't hurry and get ourselves some food, the ship owners will be gone, leaving us with no meat!" He screamed as if it were the end of the world.

"This is not the time to think about that." Zoro replied, looking especially annoyed.

"I agree." I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I walked over to my crewmates. "I think we should stay and see if they do need help." I looked between the three of them. "Or at least go and see if Usopp has taken care of things." I add before Nami could interject about my idea.

"Okay!" Luffy said, standing up immediately. "Let's go find Usopp!"

'-.-'

It was late afternoon by the time we found the long-nosed captain. The seven of us had been walking on the path to town when the three youngsters spotted him, standing alone on the road, facing town. The kids ran to him, shouting joyfully since they finally found their wannabe captain.

"CAPTAIN!"

Usopp froze, pulled at his sleeve, then turned around, a big, huge grin adorning his face. He waved at his little followers, one hand on his hip and a happy glint in his eyes. "Oh, hey guys!" He then looked past his crew at us, smiling at each of us in greeting. His grin dropped, however, when his eyes lingered on Luffy. His jaw unhooked and eyes bugged out as he pointed at our straw hat captain accusingly. "YOU'RE ALIVE?!" He gasped.

"Alive?" Luffy said. "Yeah, I just woke up."

"This guy was asleep the whole time." The boys told their captain wondrously. They then grew serious. "Anyways, Captain! We heard everything! Let's hurry and tell everyone about the pirates!"

"Tell everyone?" Usopp muttered. _He seriously looked as if he had just seen his new puppy get shot by the tooth fairy and thrown into a ditch._ His eyes were empty and his expression was emotionless, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as he clenched his fists at his sides. I raised my eyebrow at him as he bowed his head, his entire body trembling slightly. No one spoke a word as we all watched Usopp in fascination, wondering what could have happened to make him act like this.

Usopp then straightened up, hands on his hips and booming laughter coming from his now-smiling face. He gave his little friends a fake grin and told yet another lie. "I'm lying as usual, obviously!" He said. We all froze, waiting for him to continue with his speech. "That damn butler pissed me off, so I decided to claim he's a pirate!" He continued, snickering, causing his fellow pirates to start laughing as well.

_Matte, something's up . . ._ I thought as I watched the four dopes conversing. I exchanged unsure glances with Luffy, Nami, and Zoro, who all seemed to agree that his story didn't seem to match up with what was really going on. _The Black Cat Pirates are going to be invading the village and Usopp has the nerve to say it isn't true? Does he really hate his neighbors this much?_ I shook my head for even thinking that and focused my attention back on the Usopp Pirates.

"Oh! So you put the straw hat guy up to it, too!" The three vegetable kids said through hiccups of giggles. They all walked by him towards town, still snickering, but didn't bother to look at their captain until he finally noticed their departure.

"Oi? What's wrong?" Usopp asked, turning his back to us so he could see the kids.

The three boys had stopped laughing, turning to their captain with a serious glare in each of their tiny eyes. "I think less of you now." They said. I could practically hear Usopp's heart sink down through his body and crack at the bottom of his feet as his alleged 'crew' continued with more harsh words. "Even if that butler is a jerk, I never thought you'd lie to hurt someone! We really respected you, too! I was all wrong about him! Let's go home." They then turned away and walked back to their village, wondering about what they might be having for dinner when they got home.

The atmosphere was like ice, cold and slick. None of us dared to speak or move, afraid that doing so would disrupt the balance of things. The cruel scene before us had been real, and I'm pretty damn sure Usopp knew that he wasn't going to be returning to his village tonight after what had happened. _Even if he did, what would he do?_

Usopp's hands were still held into tight fists when he finally turned to the four of us, a defeated and somewhat haunted expression adorning his dark face. One of his hands reflexively reached his arm with the blue and white band, caressing it tenderly. His eyes were still empty of any emotion as he stared at us helplessly. "I need help."

_You need a lot of help, buddy, and a lot of explaining to do, too._

'-.-'

The sun had long disappeared behind the horizon of the island, bathing the beach we were currently on in a navy blue blanket. White stars dotted the sky above us, shimmering against the waters and sand grains on the shoreline.

The five of us were settled near the spot where Luffy had fallen off the cliff side earlier, tucked safely away from anyone who may have been wandering by. I leaned against the mountain again as I watched Nami wrap Usopps' open wound on his arm. Luffy and Zoro stood near them, gazing at the scene in silence. Usopp had been biting his lip while Nami cleaned the injury - _apparently one of Kaya's guardians had shot him in the arm, the bastard_ - but he dared not to scream out in pain.

"Okay, that should do it." Nami said as she tied the knot of the gauze on his arm. She stepped back and wiped her hands on her skirt as she admired her common medic skills proudly.

Luffy spoke for the first time in a while as he stared at Usopp curiously. "Why did you say all that?" He asked.

"'Cause I'm a liar." Usopp responded. _No, really? I thought you were a sheep herder_. "No one should believe me in the first place. I was too naïve." He scolded himself pathetically.

"Even if you are naïve, the truth is still the truth." Zoro said to him kindly.

Usopp didn't respond, instead glaring at the sand under his feet.

"Those pirates are really gonna' attack, right?" Nami said to the boy sitting on the rock.

"Yeah, there's no doubt that they'll be coming." Usopp replied, sighing. "But everyone thinks it's all a hoax. Everyone thinks that tomorrow will be just like any other day." He then suddenly looked determined, almost impatient as he glared out into the seas beside us. "But I will stop those pirates at the coast and make sure it was just a lie! This is my duty as a liar! Even though they shot my arm, chased me all over the village, this is still my village! I love this village. I want to protect everyone!"

_Who knew this dude had some guts after all._ I slowly walked over and stood next to Zoro, smirking at the boy before us as his courage just grew brighter.

"Never thought that you were that kind of a guy." Zoro said, curling his fingers around his katanas playfully. "Ditching your friends so that you can face the enemy by yourself."

I nodded. "I understand why you're doing this, Usopp." I said to him kindly, my eyes hard. "You sure have some balls to be going through with this."

Nami, however, didn't seem to have the same sympathetic thoughts as we did. "Let me get this straight, all the pirate's treasures will be mine." She said sternly, pointing a finger at Usopp.

_I could have fucking smacked her right then and there, I swear._

"Alright, we will lend you a hand." Luffy said, grinning from ear to ear.

Usopp looked flabbergasted. "You guys are willing to fight beside me? Why?" He asked, astonished to no end.

"Because they have more people." Luffy replied stupidly.

_Cue face palm._ I groaned at Luffy's idiotic remark and tried to clear up what he said. "You'd need to have more members on your side if you want to beat those lousy pirates into the dust before they attack your village." I explained, eyeing the moronic captain viciously.

"If you're scared, you can reconsider." Zoro said, giving Usopp a one-over when he began to tremble.

"I'm SCARED?!" Usopp yelled, jumping up from his spot on the rock and waving his hands around furiously. "It doesn't mater how many there are, it's fine by me! For I am the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp!" He paused when he realized that his knees had startled to buckle together. He pounded on his wobbling legs angrily, cursing to himself. "Damn it! Damn it!" Long nose glanced back up at us with a frightened, yet optimistic star in his eyes. "This is no small matter! They are Klahadore's band of pirates! Scared, of course I am! So what of it?! I won't accept anyone's sympathy! Just go home! Go home!"

"We are not laughing." Zoro said seriously, a frown etched on his tan face. "We're helping you 'cause we admire your courage." Nami and I nodded in agreement with our baka swordsman.

"If it was sympathy, would we put our lives at risk?" Luffy challenged.

Usopp looked ready to break into tears on the spot. He sniffled, shutting his eyes tight, and practically screamed into the night sky. "Damn . . . You guys . . . ARIGATO!"

I smiled. _This guy is gonna' be loads of fun to be around, I just know it._ I cracked my knuckles together roughly, earning everyone's attention in a split second. "So, when does the ass-kicking begin?"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**One-shots:Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

**[AU: I'm starting to get into the habit of editing and writing ahead on this story, so perhaps that'll do some good. Then I won't be stuck writing one chapter for two months. That'd be very annoying, for everyone.]**

[AU: I know this chapter had a lot of scene jumps, but I'm just going by what happened in the series. Uh, in the next chapter I'm going to be covering at least half of the fight between the Straw Hats and the Black Cat Pirates, so the fighting will come soon enough. Take the poll on my profile for this story, and of course review, favourite, alert, or anything else that has to do with loving this story! Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	7. Chapter 7

[AU: Hey, how's it going? Never mind. Here's Chapter 7. Read the note and the end of this chapter! Thank you and read on.]

**[AU: Yay! A new chapter! How much do you love One Piece?! Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. Arigato!]**

[This chapter has been revised.]

"Alright." Usopp said as we walked back up the slanted path on the mountain. "They're going to attack from this shore at daybreak. But the only route into the village is this one slope. Everything else is cliff, making it tougher to come through." We reached the top of the hill and looked down at the beach below, vacant of any human presence. "In other words, if we can defend this slope to the death, the village won't get attacked!"

"Oh! That's easy!" Luffy grinned.

_Of course you would think it's easy, baka._

"Talking about it is, but the rest depends on our strength!" Usopp replied, completely determined about the current situation. "What can you guys do?"

"I cut." Zoro replied.

"I stretch." Luffy said.

"I steal." Nami responded.

"I attack." I mused.

_Not like I can do much else … except maybe kill …_

"I hide." Usopp said quietly.

The four of us were at his throat in seconds. Luffy had a good hold around Usopp's neck, causing the filthy liar to tear up and gasp at his strong grip. "YOU'RE GONNA' FIGHT!" We screamed in unison at him.

"I'M JUST KIDDING!" Usopp gasped, water running down his cheeks. "JEEZ!"

'-.-'

In almost no time at all, Usopp had managed to lug down several large barrels full of oil to the path we were guarding. Luffy and Zoro helped him drag the crates over to the slope effortlessly, following Usopps' order to dump the contents down the hill. A sliver of the morning sun made the freshly spilled oil shine on the path, the feel of dawn creeping up on everything that decorated the mountainside. The last few remaining drops of oil were emptied from their barrels as Usopp kicked at the last wooden crate, grinning in satisfaction at the sight before him.

"Alright! Perfect!" He said, clearly proud of the mess he had made. "Now they won't be able to climb up this slope thanks to all this oil we've laid out here! We'll let 'em slip and slide on this slope, then beat the crap out of 'em while they flail about!"

Nami carefully leaned closer to the brown liquid smothering the road. "Oil, huh?"

Usopp nodded. "No matter what, we will protect this slope!"

"Conversely, let's just hope that none of us slip down there." Nami mused quietly. "It'd be like diving right into an ant-lion pit."

Nami was most definitely right about that. I glanced down the hill at the oil staining the path as well. If we make one wrong move, we'll end up just like those poor bastards when they slide down the mountain. Just to be on the safe side, the five of us stood a few yards away from the slippery substance, lest we ruin our own plan too early. It'd sure be funny to see one of the guys sliding down in the muck, though. I'm so cruel.

"I'm amazed you can think up stuff this cheeky!" Luffy complimented Usopp.

"But of course!" Usopp replied, looking especially pleased with himself. "When it comes to cheekiness and slingshots, I'm utterly confident!"

I snorted. Talk about arrogant … My train of thought was interrupted when the tiny sliver of sun grew larger over the horizon. I shielded my eyes, growling at the rising light. "Damn, it's almost daybreak."

"They'll be coming soon." Zoro said. "Now all we have to do is wait."

'-.-'

_Oh, we were waiting all right._

_And waiting, and waiting, and even more fucking waiting . . ._

We had been sitting on the mountain for over an hour and still no Black Cat Pirates. The five of us had been carefully watching the ocean shoreline, waiting to see if any boats would glaze over the ocean's eye, but no such luck. It seemed we had lost our chance to fight against the ignorant enemy pirates as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, practically taunting us with each passing second.

_Or at least it's taunting me_. I thought bitterly, curling my knees up to my chest as I sulked. _I'm probably not going to settle down at all until I reach my family again. Damn, this is just unnerving. Bloodlust …_ As if to emphasize my impatience, my neck began to twitch. _No, control. All I need is control._ I released an aggravated huff of air through my nose as my shadow grew longer against the dirt road beneath me.

"Where are they?" Luffy grumbled loudly, bringing me out of my troubled thoughts. He was staring at the morning sky anxiously, a pout gracing his mouth where his wide grin should be. "The sky's all bright now. What's the deal?"

"Maybe they overslept or something?" Zoro said, shifting in his sitting position next to me.

"No, that's just you, Zoro." I replied. He gave me a soft glare, but didn't respond to my sarcastic comment.

"No." Usopp said, staring intensely at the open ocean. "They'll definitely show up. Lots of 'em."

That's when I heard it - the war cry that could scare the boots off of an entire village, especially those who remained blissfully unaware that pirates were going to be rampaging through their town. I licked my lips, ready for the attack without question, but then I realized something odd and somewhat frightening: There were no pirates on the shore in front of us.

"Say . . ." Nami said aloud, sounding curious and on-edge. "Maybe it's just my imagination, but I hear something coming from somewhere." She walked closer to the cliff side, cupping her hands behind her ears to listen more efficiently. After a moment, she nodded to us, a look of terror hidden in her eyes. "Yeah, I definitely hear it!"

"N-now that you mention it . . ." Usopp mumbled.

"Nani? What is it?" Zoro asked.

"There's a place just like this to the north, too!" Usopp exclaimed, paling at the sudden realization. "You don't suppose . . ."

"YOU MEAN THIS IS THE WRONG SHORE?!" Luffy yelled urgently as he began dancing in his place, his eyes wide with shock.

"THIS IS WHERE THEY HAD THEIR SECRET MEETING, SO I JUST ASSUMED!" Usopp retorted just as frantically, his knees beginning to buckle again from fear.

I slapped my hand over my forehead, now completely aware that we could've easily failed in our mission. I huffed out a deep breath and glared at the sniper intensely, ignoring the trembling form of Luffy who had begun screaming at the top of his lungs. "Where is this place?" I asked calmly.

"If you run straight north from here, you'll get there in three minutes." Usopp replied hastily, his eyes bugging out of his skull. "The terrain there is almost exactly the same, so we just need to stop them at the shore!"

Without a moment's hesitation, I bolted up the hill, the soles of my boots slapping against the road as I disappeared into the forest. I ignored the confused cries of the others behind me as I continued forward, eager to get to the shore before any damage was brought to the island.

_After all my years of murder, I might as well do something good …_

I ran over a brief route of the island in my head. I wasn't very good when it came to directions on an unexplored isle, but since we had been roaming around the forests and towns for the past several hours, I had a good idea where the north shore would be. _Even if I get lost, I could find the others there easily, whether it be due to the massive amount of persona energies or the high-pitched battle cries from both opposing teams. And possibly Usopp's girly screams filling the air would be a tip-off, too._

By the time I had reached the beach, the sun had elevated its way into the sky, pulling dark shadows from neighboring trees and bushes that inhabited the cliff. The Black Cat Pirates were all stationed down on the shore, their large ship sitting proudly behind them. The sails were all black, baring their sleek white Jolly Roger proudly, and the front of the ship adorned a statuesque accessory of a cat's head. The pirates on the beach looked ready to attack anyone who got in their way no matter what, so obviously seeing a short, somewhat innocent-looking girl standing at the top of the slope didn't intimidate the armed mob whatsoever. I was the only one facing the pirates at the moment, but I assumed the others would show up any minute now.

One of the crewmembers on the shore - _that crap hypnotist, Jango_ - sneered at me without a bead of sweat on his forehead. "You're that girl who called me weird! What do you think you're doing?"

I hooked my thumbs in my back pockets, silently counting out how many buccaneers I had to fight. A few dozen wasn't much, but I could deal with them all before the others show up. I released a huff in response. "I'm here to tell you that you're prohibited from entering the village."

The entire crowd of freebooters found my declaration humourous, but their captain seemed quite miffed. "And who are YOU to give such a command?!" Jango sneered, half a dozen veins throbbing over his unusually proportioned face.

A wry smirk made its' way to my lips before I could help it. "Are you saying that you don't know who I am?" I said, my voice low, husky, and, to some degree, dangerous.

Jango looked taken aback, as if he did know - or at the very least, had the answer on the tip of his tongue - but would rather act naïve to escape from answering my question. I could see his eyes gleam angrily behind his ridiculous heart-shaped glasses as he lifted a finger at me. "Enough of this! Get rid of the enemy!"

The rambunctious group of pirates didn't need to be told twice, for they all came charging uphill, weapons held high and bloodlust seeping from their pores. I took in a slow breath, my eyes never straying from the slope as I began to work my dark magic.

_Shadow Shield …_

As the mob of hostile thieves trekked up the path, I stealthily generated a shadow-based shield around the perimeter of my body. _If I wanted to beat these pirates into the ground, then I had to make sure that they couldn't touch me at all._ Once I saw the nearly-transparent black circle surrounding the dirt beneath my feet, I slowly and gently tapped my foot against the ground. The attack may not have seemed like much, but boy did it surprise them.

_Shadow Force …_

The entire crew of pirates who had been dashing up the mountain with a look of bloodlust on their faces before, now all shrieked as a wave of darkness rumbled underneath the soil, causing the road to shake under their boots. The earthquake-like tremor sent the crowd of men sprawling back down the slope, some rolling like balls while others quite literally ate dirt during their tumble down. I had barely moved an inch during the entire scene.

"As I said, you're not getting past me." I said as the Black Cat Pirates all returned to their feet in a rather ungraceful manner.

Jango, who had been unharmed by my defensive attack, began stuttering, his voice rising several octaves as he directed his men. "I TOLD YOU TO GET RID OF HER!"

Although the amateur freebooters appeared to be quite shaken up, they didn't dare disobey their captain. Raising their weapons once more, the psychotic mob of pirates attempted once more to pummel me in to the earth. One particular attacker, a thin, ravenous man with thick black eyeliner and pit stains, ran ahead of the rest of his crewmates, the eagerness clear on his putrid face. When he was just close enough to hit me, I hastily shot one hand out and secured my fingers around his throat.

_Shadow Pulse …_

Two seconds later, the pirate was dead.

_Actually, the word 'dead' is a bit understated. What I did to him was far worse than what that measly phrase defined. No, I'd have to say that he was . . . obliterated._

All was silent on the beach. It felt as if time itself had stopped moving, as if the whole world had been caught in Limbo. The crowd of pirates who had been itching to fight me off now stood with their jaws unhinged, their faces pale and their bloodshot eyes drawing tears. Even their shitty captain appeared positively disturbed by what he had just witnessed - what they had all witnessed. However, I felt no empathy whatsoever as I casually began wiping away some of the bloodshed from my face and hair.

My crimson gaze was directed at Jango as I spoke again. "You really want to try that a third time?"

The brief pause that had enclosed the entire North Shore was instantly broken as several dozen pirate men began screaming like frightened children. They all shrieked phrases that nearly no one could understand, only the occasional 'we're doomed!' or 'please spare us!' could be heard from the bawling brutes. I paid them little mind as I continued to wipe away the remaining salty liquid from my person, inwardly cursing at myself since it was going to be extremely difficult washing the blood out of my clothes.

_What a bunch of winy babies … I thought bitterly. Wait a fucking second … where the hell are-_

"KORI!"

_Well that answers my question …_

With one last smear across my face, I turned back to see Usopp standing several years behind me, his breath uneven and his forehead gleaming with light perspiration. "You're fast! I can't believe you got here first! Are the …" His eyes literally bulged out of his goggles as he finally noticed the pitiful scene on the slope before us. "WHY'RE THEY ALL CRYING?!"

I shrugged. "They're weak, that's why."

"MY MEN ARE NOT WEAK!" Jango sneered, having apparently been brought out of his momentary stupor. His attention turned from me to Usopp, his anger only fueling more. "You're that boy who overheard our plan. What do you think you're doing?"

Usopp sucked in a breath - while swallowing down some of his nerves - and faced Jango with an erect stature. "I'm warning you!" He shrieked, his hands at his hips and a soft tremble slithering down his spine. "Turn back now while you still can! Or else my 100 million crewmen will beat the crap out of you guys!"

_… Nani? …_

Some of the crewmembers had calmed down by now - and those who had not were still either crying or on the verge of fainting - so those who had overheard Usopp's bold claim had immediately grown serious again. "He's obviously lying!" The crewmen said, annoyance and frustration leaking from their pores and fake cat ears as the mob stared up at us. Now they looked about ready to kill us.

"Yikes!" Usopp chirped nervously. "They saw through it?!"

"Of course they did, you dirty liar." I said, linking my fingers together behind my head in a casual way. "100 million is a little eccentric, don't you think?"

"Why are you always so NEGATIVE?!" Usopp yelled in my face, a vein popping from his sweat-drawn forehead.

I huffed out a frustrated breath. "Why does everyone say I'm negative?!"

Whatever witty comeback he was gonna' reciprocate with was lost in the air as several excited shouts drew our attention down to the shore once more. It seemed that one of the pirates had found our boats, thus rummaging around in our belongings until they found the treasure that had been hidden on Nami's ship. One of the crewmembers held up the bag full of gold and jewels proudly, proclaiming that it would be worth at least a good 5 million.

"5 million Beli?!" Usopp muttered, gawking at the load of treasure that they had pulled out from our boats. He looked at me, an unbelieving gleam filling his dark eyes. "How did you guys get so much money in your boat?!"

I shrugged. "We're pirates, what can we say?"

Usopp blinked at me, still captured in the awe of it all, but seemed to be lost in his own mind. His eyes had a faraway look for a moment or two before he turned back to the pirates who were all crudely dressed as cats. "THAT'S MY TREASURE!" The entire crowd of men glared up at Usopp as he said this, not comprehending that the treasure had already belonged to someone. "BUT YOU CAN HAVE IT!" He cast me a nervous glance. "That cool with you?"

"I don't care." I replied, more or less bored of the situation.

"NANI?" Jango yelled in surprise. "You'll give us the treasure?!" The Black Cat Pirates were all definitely pleased about this proclomation, despite the fact that it was only a bargaining tool.

"That's right!" Usopp responded, his back straightening into his proud, elite posture again. "In exchange for that treasure, I ask that you turn back now!"

_Has he learned nothing?_

Jango snickered, along with a few of his nakama around him. "You baka. We're pirates, you know. We're obviously going to take this treasure. It's not good enough of a reason for us to turn back, though." Usopp's face fell in defeat, still staring with intensity at the man who had refused his proposal. Jango reached into his coat and pulled out his hypnotizing wheel, the gold ring on a string, and held it up for long-nose to see. "Alright, then. On 'one, two, Jango', you'll let us by! One, two, Jan-"

He was unable to finish his spell, however, since his victim had been knocked out of the way by a very angry Nami gripping her bo-staff roughly. Usopp fell to the ground, removing his eyes from the hypnotic ring Jango was holding, and was met with a face full of dirt. Usopp glanced up at the girl who had smacked him, not understanding why he had been hit.

Nami was indeed very upset about the current scene before her. "QUIT STANDING AROUND!" She yelled furiously. The mikan-haired thief turned to the black cats, sending them an evil glare. "That boats' treasure is MINE! I won't let you have a single Beli! Hold on to it! I'll come take it back now!"

_There is no way she can take on all those men by herself just for treasure._

Usopp screamed in pain, bringing Nami's attention back to him in a flash. "THAT HURT!"

"WHO SAID YOU COULD GIVE THEM MY TREASURE?!" She yelled at him as if he were the stupidest person on the planet.

"What's wrong with just SAYING they can have it?!" Usopp retorted, slowly crawling back up to face the dreaded she-witch in front of him.

I stood a few feet away, watching the two bicker back and forth with a very unpleasant scowl on my face. I had clasped my hands at my hips, tapping my foot repeatedly against the road as my forehead throbbed from a horrible headache. _I can tell already these two are going to get on my last nerve in a matter of minutes_. I tried to keep my cool as best as I could as they continued going back and forth at each other, not even paying attention to the pirates down on the beach anymore.

"WHAT'RE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Nami shouted, her face up close to Usopps' as they argued. "AFTER I JUST SAVED YOU!" She pointed to Jango down the slope, who was still holding his gold wheel in front of him, apparently having hypnotized himself again. "I forgot to mention it, but don't watch this ring all the way through. He's a hypnotist! Oh, where's Luffy?" She said, looking around for any sign of the straw hat boy. "He ran here second, right?"

"Dunno." Usopp said, glancing around the cliff top as well. "He either chickened out or got lost!"

"He got lost, then." Nami mused. "Jeez! Just when we need him, too!"

"I'll take command here." Usopp said egotistically. "Go kick their butts! I'll cover you!" He continued, motioning to the black cat men.

"EH?!" Nami shrieked, almost popping one of my eardrums from the shrill sound. "HOLD ON, WHY ME?! WHY NOT KORI?! There's no way I can take on that huge army! I'm weak, you know!" Yeah, girl, we all know.

"Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm a guy!" Usopp replied. "I'M SO SCARED MY LEGS ARE SHAKING LIKE CRAZY! SEE?!" He definitely spoke the truth, for his legs were buckling together faster than a jackhammer pounding into the ground.

She was the one to lie, however. "BIG DEAL!" Nami said. "See, look! I'm so scared I have tears in my eyes."

"YOUR EYES ARE BONE DRY! If you're gonna' lie, LIE MORE REALISTICALLY!" Usopp scolded, clearly unimpressed with the lack of skill from the stuck-up thief.

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO TELL ME THAT!" Nami yelled.

At this point, my blood pressure was so high that I was about ready to explode. _One basic rule to being around me: never argue or scream; it sets me off_. And in conclusion to the annoying conversation between Nami and Usopp, I completely lost it. "Oh, will you two SHUT THE FUCK UP already?!" I said very loudly, my already black aura growing darker by the minute. Nami and Usopp looked positively unhinged at seeing my usually calm exterior explode into a fit of fury. "I'll take care of them!"

By that point the Black Cat Pirates must have reawakened their captain from his hypnotic state, considering how the entire horde of men began charging up the slope with their swords and axes held high above their heads. It seemed that nearly all of the swashbucklers in the crew had now completely forgotten what had happened to their nakama only minutes before when he faced me. _Whatever, it's their funeral_. I nudged Nami and Usopp out of the way as I stood in place, dead set on blowing these numbskulls down the mountain. I took in one deep breath, closed my eyes, and began to work my dark magic once more.

_Shadow Shield …_

With another protective layer of shielding around my person, I waited impatiently for one of the nasty fuckers to make their way up the slope first so I could release all of my pent-up aggression. Soon one of the bootleggers - _a particularly thick man in a striped shirt with a dark Mohawk_ - had come close enough to where I could perform my next attack. I shot my arm out, grabbed his collar, and sealed my open palm with his left cheek.

_Shadow Melt …_

My hand burned as the dark matter crawled through my fingertips onto the surface of the mans' face. His eyes widened, like large, brown dinner plates, and sweat began to gush through the pores of his face as he gasped out in pain. Whatever weapon he was holding fell to the ground as his main objective now was to get away from as soon as possible. He screamed, cried, and pleaded for me to stop, but his protests only encouraged me more. I could see that the other crewmembers who had been rushing up the mountain path now all stood motionless once more, taking in the bloodcurdling scene without a word.

After only a few seconds of contact, I released the man from my grip. He fell to his knees instantly, clutching at his bleeding face, the skin practically melted through to the bone. His left eye - which had come into contact with my magic during his struggle - was bulging, the blood vessels seeming to have popped at some point. He screamed in agony, a clear sign that he had already given up, but I continued to cause him more pain. Well, cause them all pain, really.

_Shadow Whip …_

With a hasty snap on my wrist, I long line of darkness shot from my fingertips, the end of it's whip meeting the back of the pirate man sitting at my feet. A long gash appeared on his skin a moment later, accompanied by more shrieks of misery. Without even looking, I slapped the whip around to another enemy, the force of the leather ripping off skin upon instant contact. Half a dozen of the Black Cats were struck by one flick, and that was enough to kill every single one of them.

By now most of the pirates - those who had not yet met the opposite end of my dark powers - turned on their heels and ran straight down the slope, leaving their 'nakama' behind to bleed.

_They're not getting away that easily._

_Shadow Force …_

With another tap of my foot I cast loose another tremor through the earth. The sonic wave managed to trip up the cowards before they actually reached the sanctuary of the shore again. The earthshaking force had also pushed the Mohawk pirate away from my feet and down the slope with his comrades. The whole of the Black Cats' crew were now all together, as if they were sheep that had been herded by a dog. All of them were more or less dying by this point, so I figured that they had had enough of physical pain. Wearing a twisted grin, I finished them off.

_Shadow Machete …_

I raised my arms closely together, pointed outward in front of me, black magic sparking across my pale skin like electricity. With a swift motion, I forced my hands to separate, giving the impression that I had sliced the air. Though as I did this, the darkness that had been swelling over my arms then shot out as thick as a blade and flew down the slope. As the darkness traveled, it grew larger until it was as wide as the width of the slope. The men were defenseless as the machete-sharp shadow cut through them, blood gushing from skulls, throats, torsos, and legs. The only sounds that were carried by the morning breezes were of men screaming in anguish. It was truly a horrific sight to behold, yet I felt no remorse for these imbeciles who were now facing death.

_You wanna' know something about me finally? Then here goes: I've always killed without mercy. That's it, done. I had no emotion when it came to death or murder. I was taught that if there was anyone who dared to oppose the power melted within my veins, then that person should die. End of story. There would be no pleading for a second chance, no retaliation swing from the enemy, not even enough time for the victim to send a silent prayer to whatever god they think would be watching them from above. So seeing this group of men on the battlefield before me, I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed for inflicting the pain-inducing feel of death into their systems. But, then again, what do I care? I'm practically a monster. Any sign of guilt or shame disappears as soon as the blood is spilled, so that's how I go on with life._

_At least I didn't get any blood on myself this time._

Rotating my neck around as I worked out the tense knots, I glanced back at Nami and Usopp, who just stared at me as if I had bugs crawling out of my ears. Their mouths were gaping open, their jaws hitting the ground as they looked back and forth between me and the mutilated pirates on the shore below us.

Usopp raised a finger at me, trembling like a newborn baby. "H-how did you d-do that?!" He squealed, completely perplexed at what had just happened.

I remained nonchalant, unaffected by what I had just done. "Do what?"

Nami spazzed out - again - her eyes growing wide and her teeth sharpening as she yelled angrily at me. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'DO WHAT'?! YOU JUST KILLED AN ENTIRE MOB OF MEN! AND YET YOU'RE COMPLETELY CALM ABOUT IT?!"

I nodded. "Yeah. What's your question?"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!"

The three of us turned around to see Luffy and Zoro standing several yards behind us, panting heavily from all the running they probably had to do to make it to the north shore. They were both staring at the Black Cat Pirates, who were just about done for as they remained motionless in a pile on the sand.

"About time!" Nami said, glaring daggers at the two boys who were incredibly late to battle. "Kori already took care of these pirates, so you're a little too late! What took you guys so long?!"

"NAMI!" Zoro screamed in rage, several veins popping from his forehead and his eyes dark and menacing as they peeked out from underneath the black bandana around his head. "HOW DARE YOU KICK ME DOWN THERE!"

Nami and Zoro went back and forth at each other for a while, pinning the blame on each other for the boys' tardiness and how slipping in the oil on the other slope was a simple 'accident', even though it wasn't. Luffy, who had just now noticed the mob of useless pirates blanketing the entire north shore, nodded at the Black Cats on the beach, one hand on top of his hat. "Why are they just laying around?"

"Baka!" Usopp screamed. "You guys were late, so we took care of them!"

I turned to him. "We?"

Usopp flinched back. "I meant Kori!"

Luffy's dark eyes suddenly popped into the shape of glowing yellow stars, wearing a matching vivacious grin to emphasize his awe. "You took them all out single handedly?! SUGOI!"

Through Luffy's fawning state of admiration, Usopp's still dumbstruck appearance, and Nami and Zoro's bickering, I could vaguely hear the pirates on the shore shift and groan. I listened intently to Jango, who stood above his unconscious nakama with a sour tone in his voice.

"Night is long gone now. He, Captain Kuro, has a short temper." Jango said absentmindedly, speaking to himself mostly, now fully aware of the danger he would be in if his captain saw him in this state. "Hey, men! Don't tell me that brat did you all in?!" At his word, the few cat-dressed men who had not apparently given up stood around him, making a circle of about a dozen men. Jango sighed at the sight, disappointed with the shortage of muscle. "Good enough. Listen! We don't have time to be dilly-dallying here! If our enemy is strong, we just need to be stronger!" He again pulled out his hypnotic ring, holding it up for his crewmembers to see. "Now watch this ring closely! On 'one, two, Jango', you guys will grow strong. Your wounds will be completely healed, and you will grow stronger and stronger!"

I shook my head after hearing Jango's idiotic monologue to his pirate crew. _No amount of hypnosis could heal those guys perfectly in only a couple of seconds. I knew from personal experience that once my opponent has been ripped open, then there was no hope in trying to save them from the call of death. 'You have to make sure they never see the lighter side to life ever again.' The words from that ungrateful asshole rang through my brain like a loud, obnoxious bell, staining my memory forever. I would never forget them._

"Hey guys, you might want to see this." I said to the other unobservant teens near me.

"What're they doing?" Luffy asked, having finally looked over to find the small circle of men around Jango, staring mindlessly at the mystic ring before them.

"It's hypnosis." Nami said plainly, glaring at the pirates down the slope with a disgusted frown. "He's trying to convince them to be stronger? How ridiculous!"

The bizarre hypnotist held up his tool of power, making sure the small crowd of men saw it all clearly before letting it swing lightly in the air. "One, two, Jango!" After the magic words were spoken, it seemed that the small group of black cats weren't as ridiculous as we had thought. Even though the guys still had trouble standing and moving around due to their injuries delivered by my hostile attacks, they all seemed to be completely hypnotized from Jango's spell. The men shuffled back up the slope slowly, their eyes white as sheets since they did not currently have a mind of their own, and their foreheads beading with gleaming sweat. They looked vicious, but still somewhat in pain from the open wounds.

_They're not gonna' get very far._

"NO WAY!" Nami shrieked, instantly terrified at the club of men hiking up the mountain at sloth speed. "THEY REALLY DID GET HYPNOTIZED!"

"GO!" Jango screamed at his men. "Crush anyone who gets in the way!" The twelve men all drew in deep breaths and let out strangled war cries. They raised their fists and continued their way forward on the path, seeming to forget about their weapons still laying on the beach behind them.

"You guys get back! We'll handle this!" Zoro shouted. His hands neared his katanas as he waited for the rest of us to duck and cover. Usopp and Nami had no problem with hiding from the battle that was to come, but I remained stationed in my spot, shaking my head at the green bean. He rolled his eyes at me, apparently displeased by my participation in the fight, but let it slide anyway. "Fine, fight with us. Hey, Luffy!" Our childish captain didn't respond, his eyes drawn to the ground intently. "Luffy?" Then, from out of bloody nowhere, Luffy let out a loud war cry that even startled the nearing pirate men. His eyes were white and his face showed fury and strength, signaling at once that this ignorant baka had gotten hypnotized as well.

"YOU GOT HYPNOTIZED, TOO?!" Zoro yelled at his braindead captain, who was still currently screaming.

"What a simple-minded person." Nami muttered, seated in a bush next to Usopp on the cliff top.

Luffy ran forward at full speed, his hands curled into fists and his aura growing dark. "Gomu Gomu No Gatling!" He shouted as his arms stretched in front of him, repeatedly punching whatever was in front of him. The twelve cat pirates all stared in shock for a moment before turning around and running back down the path to the beach, shrieking like frantic little girls.

However, it seemed Luffy was REALLY out of it, for he continued to run after the men, somehow passing them and sprinting right up to their ship. He stretched both of his arms around the head of the boat, hugging the wooden ship as he pulled roughly away from it. Luffy was able to successfully pull the head of the boat from the ship in one piece, the black cats skull glistening in the sunlight as he swung it around in the air. The pirates turned to run away as Luffy charged at them with the large, broken boat piece, but didn't get very far when Jango reversed his spell, bringing Luffy and the rest of his men back to reality.

The twelve pirates were all glad to see that they were not being chased anymore, but soon began shrieking for another reason entirely. It appeared that Luffy was a bit sleepy after having exerted so much energy ATTEMPTING to beat the group of dudes into the ground. It was in that instant that the head of the ship that he had been carrying began to tip towards the ground, smashing against the beach - along with the dozen pirate men - with a big furl of sand dust clouding the atmosphere. Luffy lay underneath the wooden structure, snoring loudly with several noticeable Zzzzzzz's floating in the air above his head.

"Looks like they're just about wiped out!" Usopp, who had been expressly quiet with the rest of us, said aloud, his mouth agape at the unusual sight on the shore.

"I guess so." Zoro responded, his eyes wide and his posture stiff. He glanced down at me - _damn him for being 5'10"_ - and smirked. "So, you're the one who cut those guys up?"

I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yup."

"Hey, never mind that." Usopp interrupted, his attention still focused on the practically defeated buccaneers on the beach. "Luffy's trapped under there!"

"He won't die." Zoro replied, crossing his arms over his chest, emphasizing his muscles nicely. "Worry about your own injuries or something."

Suddenly, I felt two very strange energies that I hadn't noticed before. They were somewhat powerful, but lacked the official strategy that was needed for battle. I scolded myself for not having realized that there were more enemies that we had to vanquish, but that was probably because they had been hiding the entire time. _Yep, the two people whose energies I just now noticed are stationed somewhere inside their godforsaken pirate ship._

Not a moment after the two auras made themselves known, an unfamiliar, musical voice sliced through the silent atmosphere like butter, soon joined with a second, slightly deeper voice. "Hey, Butchie! Come look! This is bad stuff! What the hell?"

Jango, who had grown increasingly agitating once he realized that he was in danger now, smiled devilishly, an evil gleam shining from behind his heart-shaped sunglasses. "We still have a trump card!" He murmured so quietly that only I could hear it. "Come forth, Meowban Brothers!"

_… Meowban Brothers? …_

The two energies who had been resting inside the ship finally presented themselves, hopping up on the deck and smiling down at us through the now large gape in the front of the boat. One of them was very large … and kind of looked like a cow, wearing a bell around his neck and a long, fluffy purple cape, one black spot covering his left eye. The other guy had dark green hair, sharp feline eyes, and wore shorts and a bow-tie blue shirt that exposed his stomach. They both wore the Black Cat Pirates trademark cat ears and tail, but they also had gloves with long, claw-like nails attached to them.

"Siam!" The green haired guy said.

"And Butchie!" The fat guy said next, standing next to his brother proudly.

"Together, we are the Meowban Brothers!" They exclaimed in unison, glaring at us while they nodded to their leader Jango respectfully.

I blinked once, twice. All was silent on the mountain for a good thirty seconds before I was reduced to actually having to break the silence first. I exchanged an eye-popping glance with Zoro - who appeared just as confused as I was - before speaking aloud, emphasizing every syllable clearly and perfectly in a casual monotone voice.

"What the fuck?"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

[AU: Meant to update this a while ago and totally spaced on it. Sorry, but life happened, unfortunately. I'm not too happy with how the second battle scene came out, but it's 3 am right now and I'm too lazy to fix it. I am deeply sorry for anyone who has been waiting - impatiently or otherwise, I know the feeling. Chapter 8 will be up within 1 to 2 weeks, but I can't make any promises. Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	8. Chapter 8

**[AU: I am so flipping sorry that this is . . . (checks calendar) Holy shit! Nearly a whole year over it's deadline! Again, I am so flipping sorry! I've been doing a lot of editing on this chapter, though, and I hope you'll enjoy some of the twists that I've added into the story so far. Arigato and read on.]**

[Questions!]

[Moonlit-Gail - Q: What exactly is Kori? A: Kori is human, who happens to have dark, supernatural powers. The reason behind that answer will be explained in detail later in the story. Thank you for your question.]

[This chapter has been revised.]

It looked as if our rabid battle against the Black Cat Pirates had only just begun as the two males crudely dressed as gay cats peered down at us from their spot on the broken ship. The shoreline was littered with their nakama, unconscious and bloodied from my hostile shadow attacks, more than half of them dead already. The two pirates seemed to take all this in to consideration, exchanging somewhat nervous, but also bloodthirsty glances with each other, as if they knew what their purpose was to do now.

"Butchie! Siam!" Jango yelled up at them, a smile playing on his creepy face. "We absolutely must get past this hill, but as you can see, an obstacle is in the way." He pointed at the exact spot where Zoro and I stood. "Get rid of them!"

It seemed, however, that Jango had exaggerated when he said that the Meowban Brothers had been their secret 'trump card', for the two individuals simply cowered when they caught our eyes. I hadn't expected anything less than that anyway. With the dead-on expressions the marimo and I wore, ready and intent to fight until the end, the strongest man would even be scared. We didn't budge from our spots on the slope, instead glaring at the two new attackers on the half-destroyed pirate ship as they shook like leaves in the morning breeze.

"We can't possibly do that!" Siam said, his eyes large and full of fear. "Right, Butchie?"

"Yeah, they look strong." His fat brother agreed while hiding behind that ridiculously fluffy cape of his.

"And besides, we're just supposed to guard the ship!" Siam continued, teeth chattering together.

"Yeah! This isn't really our place to fight." Butchie added.

"NANI?" Usopp squealed, his jaw unhinged, expressing the same look of confusion that the rest of us wore at the moment. "THEY'RE NOT THEIR TRUMP CARD?!"

"SIAM!" Jango shouted, a vein threatening to pop from his forehead. "GET GOING ALREADY!"

"EH?! ME?!" The skinny cat man shrieked, his knees knocking together in an almost violent manner.

_What's their game?_ I thought bitterly after having examined the two pirates closely. T_hey're denying the command of their captain just because they're a little timid about fighting two strangers?_ To anyone else, you could say that the Meowban Brothers were just a couple of pussies afraid of dirtying their clothes, but I knew better. They were both clearly more intelligent than I had given them credit for. It was for that sole reason why I was so willing to beat the crap out of them now.

"HURRY!" Jango screamed severely, frustration illustrated on his bizarre facial features.

Siam hesitated, glancing back at his brother for some kind of sign of relief, but found none. Giving in to his captain's command, the green-haired cat man jumped down from the pirate ship, landing on all fours with such grace that only a kitten was able to acquire. I raised an eyebrow as he made his way up the slope, light tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he hiked farther up to reach us.

"He's in tears!" Nami said, torn between an awe-struck and horrified expression. "What's he trying to do? Why's he making him fight?"

Siam stopped a few feet from us, a few tears managing to slide down his face just as he began to talk. "Hey, you!" He pointed a wobbly finger at us. "Get ready! I'm gonna' scratch you good with these claws!"

I nudged Zoro in the arm lightly, being extra cautious so Siam and Jango wouldn't see me whispering to my nakama. Zoro turned his eyes down at me, questioning me silently. I nodded my head over to where Siam the frightened kitten stood, still shivering, and made sure he was out of earshot before I spoke. "He's playing with you."

Zoro didn't take my warning seriously, though. He gawked at me as if I was crazy, motioning back to where the cat man stood like a scared child. "How is that an act?! What am I supposed to do?!" He then turned back to Siam. "Hey, you! Stop or I'll kill you!" He drew his katanas out, holding them in place and prepared to defeat the pirate in one blow.

However, Siam was faster. He immediately stopped bawling his eyes out, instead glaring daggers at the marimo. "If you can." He murmured darkly before attacking Zoro on the spot.

Zoro managed to block Siam's attack at the last second. In a flash, the metal from the katanas met the cat-mans blade-like nails, the two weapons clashing together and causing a shriek to penetrate the atmosphere. I was able to dodge the line of battle easily once the two men began to fight, choosing to watch from the sidelines since this was clearly not my area of expertise. I knew how to fight with a blade, sure, but I wasn't nearly as skilled as Zoro was, so it only made sense for him to take part in this battle . . ._for the time being, of course._

Zoro pulled back, ceasing the horrid sound of weapon against weapon finally. He stood, somewhat baffled by what had just happened. "NANI?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"You!" Siam said accusingly. His introverted kitten façade had faded away as soon as he stopped crying, breaking away to a more fowl-acting creature in his place. His face was overshadowed by hatred, his lips curled into a mischievous smile, and his eyes held no gleam of mercy. "You just underestimated me, didn't you?!" The sneaky cat then sprinted away, evaporating instantly to Zoro's backside. He returned to his previous position a moment later, looking even more sadistic than earlier. "I'm impressed you could block that, after my innocent cat attack! You seem to have a little skill, but I wouldn't underestimate Siam of the Meowban Brothers!" He licked his hand with his sharp spade tongue as he reached for something that was hidden behind his back. "Missing something? Don't look at me, though." Siam held up two of Zoro's katanas, leaving the marimo with only one sword to fight with.

Zoro noticed this immediately, groping at his sides for his other weapons but coming up short. He was definitely pissed off now. "GIVE THOSE SWORDS BACK!"

Siam laughed maliciously. "Give them back? But you already have a sword. These are just in the way." He then tossed the two katanas behind him, not bothering to give a second glance at them. Zoro stared almost helplessly at his missing partners in battle, possibly rethinking his fighting strategy now that he was forced to continue with only one sword. Siam's smile grew as he prepared for another attack. "Alright! Now I'm much lighter!"

"You're supposed to take good care of other people's things!" Zoro yelled, lunging at his opponent with his single katana, fury clearly written all over his face. He made a swing at Siam, but just barely missed. "NANI?!" Siam then had Zoro pinned down to the ground in a split second, looking a bit bored of the situation if I may say so.

"Why did you cut?" Siam said aloud, grinning morbidly at the swordsman being held down beneath him. "I can bend like a cat!" He turned around, motioning to someone down on the shore. "You're up, Butchie! Get him!"

The other Meowban Brother, who hadn't done anything but watch the fight go on, nodded, jumping off from the pirate ship and sailing through the air. Butchie flew up high before pushing his weight forward, rocketing back down in the direction of his brother and Zoro on the slope. "Cat-Astrophe!" He yelled.

_Oh, that is so lame . . ._

Zoro, however, obviously did not want to be flattened like a grape. The moss-haired swordsman squirmed out of Siam's grasp and managed to avoid Butchie's attack at the last second. The fat cat brother crashed into the ground with an earth-shattering thud, rumbling the slope beneath my feet. The two Black Cat Pirates stood up, brushing the dirt away from their clothes and looking very pissed off. Zoro had darted back up the path, stopping just a few feet from the Meowban Brothers, his lonely sword clutched in his hands as if his life depended on it. I leaned back against the mountain wall, crossing my arms over my chest in a bored fashion.

"Damn! He got away!" Siam sneered.

"Hey! I told you to hold him down, Siam!" Butchie scolded, seeming none too pleased that his stupidly-named battle attack hadn't been effective.

"My bad." Siam replied. "The bastard's way stronger than I thought."

_Of course he is! Look at him; look at how muscular he is. It's so fucking obvious . . ._ I suddenly ran that over in my head once more, realizing how unusual it sounded. _Where the hell did that come from?_

"I'm not that great at the One-Sword Style, but what the hell." Zoro murmured as he readied himself into another fighting stance. His black bandana had begun to slide down his head, making the shadow over his eyes darken even more. He meant serious business now.

The Meowban Brothers returned their attention to Zoro, both agreeing to take him down two-to-one. "Pussy Willow March!" They yelled simultaneously. Their long knife-like claws scratched together as they once again collided with the metal of Zoro's sword, shrieks being born into the air again as the two lethal blades clashed. Zoro, having only one weapon to fight with, was left with just avoiding the Meowban Brothers attacks, his blade slashing like lightning as the sun reflected off of it in front of him. I could see the sweat begin to leak from his forehead underneath his bandana, signaling that he wouldn't be able to keep up his defense for much longer.

_I sure hope he knows what he's doing._ I thought bitterly. I began to nibble at my black-painted pinky nail as I watched the war continue, still unsure as to who would win in the end. I glanced up to see Usopp and Nami laying on their bellies in the bushes just a foot above me, completely immersed in watching the fight between the three enemy pirates with slacked jaws and bugged eyes. I rolled my eyes at them. _I can't believe they're so innocent._

"They got Zoro on the defensive!" Nami shrieked worriedly. She then turned to Usopp, who was preparing to fire a bee-bee bullet in his slingshot. "What're you doing?!"

"He's not gonna' get anywhere just blocking those two guys' attacks!" Usopp responded, rushing his sentence as he pulled the rubber band back to fire. _Oh, that's not a good idea, dude._ "I'm gonna' help him out! Take this! Lead Star!"

The sharpshooter released the pellet with a snap, aiming in the direction of the two cat pirates. However, if the baka had even the tiniest amount of intelligence in his brain, he wouldn't have shot the bee-bee bullet in the first place. Zoro, having heard the slapping sound from the rubber band, instantly dropped his guard and moved into the line of fire. The marimo took the attack right into his back, gasping out in pain at the wind-knocking blow. In addition to Zoro's new wound, the Meowban Brothers took advantage of the opening and sliced him clean on the chest, creating three very large, bleeding X marks through his shirt. They both pulled away from the fight with a smile of satisfaction, giggling like selfish little children.

Zoro glanced back up at Usopp, a livid gleam in his eyes as he glared at the long-nosed sniper. "USOPP, YOU DUMBASS!" He yelled. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!" The swordsman then went back to defending himself as the two cat men attacked him again without notice.

Nami and Usopp both sat in deep shock, hardly believing the meaning to Zoro's counterattack at all. "You don't suppose we're the ones who just got saved?" Nami said, blinking repeatedly.

I snickered, glancing up at them with shadowed eyes. "You two really don't know anything when it comes to brawling." I said. "Had you hit them with that slingshot, those two probably would've gone after you instead." I gave them both a serious glare. "Never involve yourself in another person's battle, otherwise you will die."

Usopp gulped loudly, a visible lump going down his throat before he spoke again, his voice harsh. "Why didn't you tell us that BEFOREHAND?!"

I shrugged. "Isn't it common sense?" _Honestly, I don't understand people nowadays. Are they all ignorant bakas?_

Usopp didn't respond to my comment, shaking his head roughly while Nami began to sweat. The mikan-haired thief started stuttering as she snapped her neck to gaze between me and the fight at hand. "Well, we can't just leave him like that! He's gonna' slip up sooner or later, so I'm gonna' get his swords! If we give 'em back to Zoro, he'll win for sure!"

Nami grinned triumphantly as she hopped over the edge of the cliff onto the path next to me, breaking into a run down the slope towards the two other katanas. She sprinted past the three fighters, not even giving them a second glance, but stopped short when she was about to pass the crap hypnotist. I didn't recall him walking up the slope at all, but there he was, positioned just in front of the swords with his hypnotic ring dangling at the ready. I half expected him to try to use his hypnosis on Nami as she passed, but instead he swung the spherical weapon at her. Nami, unprepared for any kind of attack, was unable to do anything as the ring clashed into her shoulder, cutting into her arm deeply. She gasped out in pain, then fell to the ground, clutching at her shoulder desperately.

Nami's white shirt began to darken as the blood seeped through the fabric, staining her top a dark crimson red colour. My nose twitched as the scent of her blood leaked into the morning air, the wind dragging the aroma closer to us. I could feel my stomach clench at the smell, my relaxed position growing tense. I hid my gaze underneath the shadow of my black bangs, trying to focus on something else, anything else, besides the ungodly smell of so much blood in the air. _With all the mangled Black Cat Pirates on the beach, Nami's newly formed injury, plus Zoro's wound, I'd say this shore was going to stink of the salty liquid for the next few hours at least._ And that was definitely not good.

Along with the repulsive odor filling the virgin morning atmosphere, I suddenly felt my eyelids get heavy, my vision blurring automatically as my brain began to shut itself down. _Shit! Shit, shit, double fucking shit!_ I inwardly cursed myself, taking steady breaths so I could still appear calm and casual. My long, black eyelashes beat against the skin on my face as I attempted to blink my vision clear, but to no avail. The drowsy feeling of sleep began to weigh against my chest, causing my legs to feel weak, ready to give out under me so it could engulf me in the realm of dreams.

_Oh, sleep, thou art a heartless bitch_. I thought angrily, still trying to keep myself awake so I could observe the rest of the battle. I knew I had to pass out sooner or later, due to my unfortunate - and uncontrolled - sleeping disorder, but I just wasn't ready to fall back into the world of my past. _I highly doubt anybody on this beach would appreciate an unconscious girl screaming in her sleep, now would they? However, three days without rest was starting to really wear on my mind._ I knew I had to get out of there soon, otherwise I was going to be in very deep shit later with my nakama. I sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the still blurry images of the area around me, and continued to watch the war without a word.

Jango seemed satisfied that he had been able to stop Nami in time from reaching the katanas on the ground. He smiled to himself, looking down at her with a superior sneer. "What do you need swords for?" He turned back to watch the fight, but gasped in horror, his attention directed at the top of the slope instead of on his crewmembers. The Meowban Brothers gasped along with their captain, pausing their fight with Zoro to stare mindlessly at the figure on the hill. The rest of us turned and saw Klahadore, previously known as Captain Kuro, standing in the middle of the road, holding a long, black bag in his grasp, gazing down at all of us and taking the scene in carefully. He didn't seem too pleased according to the expression on his face, and my assumptions were confirmed when I saw his already dark aura darken even more, turning black as pitch.

Jango began stuttering like an idiot as he stared at his former captain, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead. "N-no! Uh! I c-can explain!"

Kuro didn't look like he wanted to hear Jango's excuses, though. "Night is long gone now, so it seemed odd that the plan wasn't making any progress." He said, pretending to be calm while he was internally seething with anger. His dark gaze fell on his crewmen on the beach, all lying still and motionless, most likely all dead by now. "What the hell is going on?! To think that these brats have held you back." He dropped the suspicious-looking bag at his feet. "How the Black Cat Pirates have fallen. Right, Jango?!"

"B-but . . .you said letting that kid go wouldn't cause any problems!" Jango shrieked defensively, gesturing to Usopp repeatedly, not wishing to be on the loose end of the string.

"Yes, I did say that." Kuro responded, shifting his glasses up his nose again. "But so what? We knew he was going to try to stand up to us. The only thing I didn't count on was your guys' feebleness!"

"US, FEEBLE?" Jango screamed in outrage. "Who're you calling FEEBLE?!"

"Watch what you say, Captain Kuro!" Butchie yelled along with him, not at all amused by the humiliating label.

"Yeah, you were strong before! But that was three years ago!" Siam added, glaring up at the tyrant on the mountain. "It's not like we partied while you lived the easy life in the village!"

"'As right! We've attacked lotsa' towns and sunk lotsa' pirates!" Butchie finished harshly.

"You're point being?" Kuro asked in a very blasé tone of voice.

"You've done nothing for three years!" Siam spat, just as livid as he had been while fighting Zoro.

"There's no way you can beat the Meowban Brothers of today!" Butchie sneered just as viciously, his faux cat claws clinking together in an agitated manner.

_Oh no they didn't._

Suddenly, the Meowban Brothers sprinted up the slope, completely dismissing their previous battle with the green-haired swordsman, and charged at Kuro. Rage was etched all over the mens' faces, saliva dripping from their sharp canines and a psychotic gaze in their eyes as they attempted to take out their former pirate captain. _Although I didn't give a damn what enemy pirates did, I wasn't so sure that they were doing the smart thing here._

Apparently Jango seemed to agree with my thoughts, shouting out to his crewmembers in hasty terror. "STOP! BUTCHIE! SIAM!"

However, it was much too late for the hypnotists' warning now, for Siam and Butchie were only several yards from where Kuro stood, still slumped into an indifferent position. Just as the Meowban Brothers were about to swipe at the sadistic pirate captain, Kuro quickly opened up his black bag, did some freakishly weird dance, then vanished without a trace. The cat brothers' claws shredded the now-empty bag to pieces, then paused in momentary confusion when they discovered that they had not hit their appropriate target.

To normal onlookers, one could very well say that Kuro had just evaporated into thin air, but I was able to catch every second of his movements. I was not able to keep up with his speed, but his dark aura was a total giveaway … _that is to anyone who could actually detect a persons' paranormal outline in the first place._ So when Kuro quickly reappeared behind the Meowban Brothers, his gloved swords completely revealed in the late morning air, I wasn't at all surprised by his sudden apparition.

It seemed that nobody else was fully prepared for his reappearance, though. Jango and the Meowban Brothers looked as if they were facing Death himself; Zoro, Nami, and Usopp all seemed taken aback by the supernatural occurrence; and Luffy was still asleep down on the shore, snoring loudly. Despite the many unique reactions from everyone on the mountain, Kuro was still as just as impassive as he always had been, standing firm and erect, a no-nonsense expression gracing his darkened features.

"Who . . .who are you going to kill?!" Kuro said, his words dripping with acid as he glared morbidly at the crudely-dressed cat men.

The Meowban Brothers had their backs turned to the shoreline, not yet fully aware that Kuro was standing behind them when only seconds ago he was in front of them. A visible shiver ran down both of the pirates' spines, small beads of sweat now appearing on the back of their necks. "He snuck behind us!" They spun in a circle simultaneously, only to be met with empty air once more as Kuro sped away in a flash. "Huh? He's not there . . ."

In the bat of an eye the sadistic butler was behind the two pirate men, the blades from his gloves stretched out as he rested his arms on their shoulders in an almost relaxed, friendly position. The Meowban Brothers froze, shaking in their boots, but not daring to make even a sound, obviously too afraid of the sharp metal that was held in front of their throats to even consider making a dash for it.

Kuro, slumped into the somewhat awkward position that he was in, appeared to be suddenly fatigued, all the anger from his nakama's previous insults having apparently vanished. His words were calm, controlled, but still noticeably hostile. "You're right. I do feel a bit sluggish. It seems I've grown a bit good-natured myself during my last three years on dry land. I'll give you five minutes." The dark-haired man then removed his weapons from the brothers' throats, folding them back together with a soft shink. "If you can't take care of things here in five minutes, then I'll kill every last one of you . . ." He stepped backwards, allowing the two pathetic kittens to breathe once again, then held up his unusual form of weaponry. ". . .with my own two hands!"

I could hear Usopp's sudden intake of breath and strangled murmurs from his hiding spot on the slope. "Cripes! And to think that this bastard's been living in our midst for three years!" _Pffffft, yeah, how did you not notice that?_

After hearing that they only had five more minutes to get the job done, Siam and Butchie grew visibly bloodthirsty again, readying their claws for battle once more. They gazed at Zoro as if he were a delicious plate of tuna fish, and they were indeed ready to take the bait. "No problem! We'll just kill him real quick! Then we can charge right up the slope! We were beating him before! He ain't so fearsome! He'll be shark bait in five seconds!" They then charged at full speed, not willing to hold back for anything now.

Due to the performance Kuro put on earlier, Jango had been so distracted that he hadn't seen Nami, who was slowly recovering from the wound on her shoulder, gently inch closer to Zoro's katanas until she was a good foot away from them. She immediately stood up, kicked Zoro's swords over to him, then proceeded to dash back down to the shoreline where Luffy was. More than happy for the chance to attack once again, Zoro caught his katanas easily, stood in his fighting stance, and then waited for the Meowban Brothers to strike.

"It's no use! Three swords won't help any!" Siam shouted, dragging his cat-like nails against the road, creating a very painful scratching sound in the airwaves.

"You don't get it, do you?" Zoro said calmly. When the Meowban Brothers were close enough to hit, Zoro released his attack, slicing the pirates along their torso's deeply. "Tiger Trap!" The two cat men fell to the ground behind him, gasping for air until they stopped moving altogether. "Just having three swords is different from knowing the Three-Sword Style!"

_. . . Zoro, I think you're awesome, dude, but was that explanation really necessary?_

The marimo then glanced up at Kuro, a superior smirk gracing his tanned face. "Don't worry! I'll crush every last one of you before your five minutes are up!"

The butler fixed his glasses again, careful not to injure himself with his bizarre cat gloves in the process. "Try it." His gaze was then focused on something behind Zoro, and he frowned even more. "He's still alive. You do sloppy work."

What Kuro said was unfortunately true. It seemed that Butchie, the fatass wearing the fluffy cape, was still able to move, the advance from Zoro's katanas having no complete affect on his body. The swordsman seemed to notice this, too, his boastful smirk replaced with a sneer. "His tough fat saved him, huh?"

I wasn't quite sure what had happened next - _since I'm so damn out of it right now_ - but somehow Butchie had managed to not only recover his fleeting strength, but he had the brawn of more than ten men. His eyes were bleach white, most likely due to another game of Jango's hypnosis, so it was no wonder why he healed so quickly. The cat man looked almost unstoppable . . ._almost._

"Get 'im, Butchie!" Jango yelled to his brainwashed minion.

During the sudden shock of Butchie's recovery, Zoro had dropped his third katana from his mouth, staring agape at the enemy pirate before him. He hastily recomposed his expression and picked his sword back up. "MORE HYPNOSIS?!" He drew himself into another fighting stance, ready to take on another challenge.

Before Butchie could attack, however, Jango then noticed Nami, who had scurried away to retrieve the sleeping form of Luffy on the beach. The hypnotist, already pissed off by the current situation at hand, didn't hesitate to throw his spherical ring towards her retreating figure.

"NAMI!" Usopp, Zoro, and I screamed in unison.

Nami was just to the point where our braindead captain was when she heard our warning cries. She turned around, mid-step, and saw the round blade inching closer to her head. The mikan-haired girl was so concerned about the weapon drawing its way to her head that she didn't even realize that she had stepped on Luffy's face in the process.

_. . . And she's wearing heels . . . Poor Luffy . . ._

Nami was only a few feet from death when, at the last freaking second, Luffy shot up from the beach floor like a fresh spring daisy. "NAMI! HOW DARE YOU STOMP ON MY FACE!" Before the navigator could reply to his outraged complaint, she ducked, allowing the golden ring to fly straight into Luffy's face. His head flew backwards, but he still remained standing.

"HE'S ALIVE?!" Jango shouted, flabbergasted.

"Can't tell if he has good or bad timing." Zoro muttered, staring at the little scene on the beach curiously.

Luffy snapped his neck forward, bringing his head back into view for all to see. It seemed that he had caught the disk in his mouth before it could do any real damage to him. The straw hat boy bit sharply into the ring, breaking it into pieces, then screamed in pain. Upon closer inspection - _or in my case, squinting really hard_ - I could see that the blade had cut the corner of his mouth, which was bleeding slightly. _It wasn't a serious wound, but I imagine that it would hurt like hell for a rubber man._

Luffy glared at Nami fiercely. "NAMI, YOU JERK, THAT HURT!" He yelled.

"That wasn't me!" Nami defended. "It wasn't me." She gasped, then collapsed onto the sand, clutching at her shoulder roughly, which was most likely the source of her fatigue.

Luffy recognized this at once, his anger dying down as he watched his navigator sink to the ground in discomfort. "Your shoulder's bleeding."

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Nami responded, the pain clear in her voice. "I've done all I can. I'm leaving the rest to you. After all, this is one fight we gotta' win!"

"Nami?" Luffy said, sounding strangely hopeful.

_If you ask me, this is like the set-up of a cheesy romance novel …_

"There's a lot of treasure on the line!" Nami finished, one fist pumped into the air proudly and that same greedy sparkle returning to her eyes.

_… And Nami just ruined it …_

Luffy seemed to agree with me, for he picked up his hat and turned serious once again, a somewhat confused expression on his baby face. He began to mumble, but because of my sudden sleepiness, I wasn't able to catch on to what he said. Luffy then rotated himself around to face the few remaining Black Cat Pirates, determination radiating out of his very aura. "Hey, the evil butler is here …"

_Give the boy a fucking cookie …_

Kuro allowed his hostile demeanor to wane for merely a moment as he looked down at Luffy in amazement. "Isn't he . . . Didn't he fall off that cliff and die?" _Pffffft, are you kidding me? This is Luffy we're talking about_. "No matter. Don't approach me from behind." He then circled around, lifting his feet to perform another battle maneuver no doubt, but he paused when a familiar blonde head appeared over the horizon of the mountain.

"KLAHADORE!" Kaya wailed, clutching onto a worn beige trench coat around her as she wobbled on the road. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes as she gazed at her once faithful butler. "STOP!"

"KAYA!" Usopp called out, clearly taken aback - just as the rest of us were - at his friends' unexpected appearance. "What are you doing here?!"

Kaya glanced at Usopp, guilt strewn own her features. "I'm so sorry, Usopp. How can you ever forgive me? I was so wrong about you. I just couldn't believe … that Klahadore was a pirate."

Usopp shook his head almost violently. "Never mind that! Why are you here? I told you to run away! Your life is in danger!"

"BUT YOU'RE FIGHTING!" Kaya shrieked in reply, tears flowing down her too-pale cheeks. "Even after I treated you so horribly and you've been hurt so much, you're still fighting for me! So I …"

"What a lovely surprise, Miss Kaya." Kuro interrupted as he readjusted his glasses. "What brings you here?" His tone was very calm, yet on edge, as if he were simply discussing the weather with a passing pedestrian.

"Stop this, Klahadore!" Kaya replied to the insane ex-pirate captain. "Merry told me everything! Klahadore, please! If you want my fortune, you can have it all! Just please leave this village! RIGHT NOW!"

Kuro was silent for a few beats - _as we all were_ - but replied after he pushed his glasses up his nose for the hundredth time. "I will gladly accept it …" He began. " … But there's one other thing I want, you see. What I was is peace of mind."

"Peace?" Kaya asked blindly.

"Yes." Kuro responded. "I want simple peace. I find the villagers' trust that I've fostered these past three years to be nice and comfortable now. So I want to have that peace of mind forever. And I will have that peace; and your fortune. In short, pirates will come to the village! And you will leave your will and die! These two things are absolute."

Kaya, unable to respond to such a bold - _also known as stupid_ - philosophy, merely clutched her coat tighter, her hand reaching into one of the pockets slowly as silence drifted on.

"Kaya, run!" Usopp screamed, breaking the silence held over his friend. "Don't waste your breath on him! He's not the man you knew!"

Usopp's words seemed useless, however, as Kaya simply pulled out a revolver, glistening and new in the sunlight, and pointed it directly at Kuro. "You're not Klahadore … You're not Klahadore … Leave this village!"

Kaya had intended to intimidate the suit-wearing cat man, but Kuro merely seemed amused by her actions. "Oh … You'd point a gun at me."

"LEAVE THIS MINUTE!"

Kuro smirked. "I see … You've certainly grown a lot these past three years, Miss Kaya. Do you remember?" As the madman continued with his monologue, Kaya's anger began to fade away, her eyes glazing over as she began reminiscing in nostalgic memories, her grip visibly loosening on the revolver as her butler spoke. "So much has happened in three years. We spent much time together, even before your parents passed away and you became bedridden. So much time … So many memories … Together we suffered, together we rejoiced. I would visit the city with you, and whenever you had a fever, I constantly looked after you. You listened to my stories so happily. I devoted myself to you for so long …"

As he spoke, he slowly held out his hand and took the gun away from Kaya's grasp, barely touching it as it slid into his hands. "Yes, for so long, I endured it. Yes, it was all so that I could kill you today. I, a man once known as Captain Kuro, had to smile humbly for some snot-nosed girl. I went up against my nature and sucked up to you." He dropped the gun without a second thought, his tone darkening. "Do you understand these daily insults? Do you understand this man once known as CAPTAIN KURO?!"

It was up to this point that I started to get really angry. Not the kind of passive aggressive attitude I had when I was fighting against the Black Cat Pirates. Oh no … This was legitimate fury. I could feel the possessive demon stir within me, begging for entrance; begging for a chance to at least make the sick man at the top of the hill drown in his own blood. I was very tempted to release my hostility upon the psycho in question, yet I knew I couldn't. It wasn't my right to beat this man into the ground … _It was Usopp's._ Even though I knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Kuro, I wasn't about to get in the middle of the debacle between him and his enemy.

_Plus, I'm too fucking exhausted …_

Usopp lunged forward, sliding against the dirt and grass as he reached out for the gun that was now discarded at Kuro's feet. "KURO!" He yelled as he aimed the silver revolver at the sadistic pirate above him. He hastily pulled the trigger, but Kuro was faster. _Much faster._

With another quick dance Kuro had moved several feet away from Usopp, out of shooting range, his arms held out on either side and his finger blades spread open wide. "Usopp …" He murmured darkly. "Come to think of it, I still owe you for hitting me. You hit me with all your might, if I recall." He turned to Usopp, ready to kill him without even a shred of guilt, but I decided to take action.

_Usopp tried, I'll give him that._

_Shadow Whip …_

I may have moved like an unstable drunkard, but my attack was still effective. With a sloppy flick of my wrist, I lashed a rough coil of darkness out, leaning against the rock wall for support as I did so. The tail of my whip met Kuro's face, landing a nasty-looking gash against his right cheek. My advance threw Kuro off kilter, his body rocking for left to right before he finally fell to the ground.

I repressed a groan that threatened to sound from my throat. "You are so getting on my nerves." I muttered, my hand falling to my side once more.

An eerie silence settled over the mountain slope once more. Luffy and Zoro still held their fighting positions, but were eagerly watching the scene go on rather than step in and help. Kaya and Usopp were staring at the now-grounded Kuro with horrified expressions. Jango, who had remained silent during the entire fiasco, began stuttering about how his captain was now surely going to "kill us all" … _Whatever that means._

_And just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, guess what happens? …_

"THE USSOP PIRATES HAVE ARRIVED!"

_Seriously … Did anyone see that coming at all? …_

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot all proceeded to beat the living shit out of Kuro's face with as much energy as their tiny eight-year old bodies could muster up. They each held … _a gardening shovel, a frying pan, and a baseball bat … Not exactly ideal weapons to be using._ Nevertheless, they continued to waste all their stamina beating Kuro in the head.

It was then that the others decided to actually do something about the situation.

"YOU GUYS!" Usopp yelled, his mouth agape at the sight.

"What're those runts doing?!" Zoro groaned as a bead of sweat dripped out of his bandana.

"Now Captain Kuro is really mad!" Jango shouted, his face paling and reddening with irritation at the same time. "Those stupid brats!"

The kids pulled away after a good thirty seconds of so, facing Usopp as they all spoke. "Captain! I knew it! You were fighting, Captain! Why didn't you tell us?! That's unfair!"

"Who cares about THAT?! You guys just gotta' get out of here! RUN!" Usopp cried worriedly.

"NO! We're gonna' fight, too! The Usopp Pirates will be shamed if we run!" The kids responded honorably.

Their brave exteriors seemed to drift away with the morning wind as Kuro began to sit up, his face bruised and glasses busted, an indistinguishable expression upon his face. The kids froze and, ever so slowly, turned up to see Kuro once again on his feet. The three boys all screamed in unison, probably wetting their pants in the process, but remained glued to their spots.

"BAKAS!" Usopp yelled. "GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"

Kuro glanced up at Usopp as he walked past the three boys shaking in their boots. He did nothing to the children as he strolled closer to the lying sniper seated a yard away from Kaya. He then kicked Usopp right in the gut, sending him flying back a few yards.

"CAPTAIN!" The kids all yelled in surprise.

Usopp sat up, clearly a bit winded from the attack, but seemed fine nonetheless. He kept his eyes locked on Kuro, only traveling away to quickly look at Kaya or his young comrades.

Kuro readjusted his now-broken glasses, moving to face the beachfront once again, his eyes glaring daggers in my direction. "That hurt a bit. That's quite a strange technique you have there." He squinted at me. "I've heard of you before … Kori the Pariah, was it not?"

I blinked, attempting to regain my composure that was swiftly escaping me before I answered him. "That's not my name." I replied, my voice wavering.

Kuro seemed unfazed by my declaration. "Hmmm, well, what are you doing on a shady island like this? Traveling with pirates, no less."

"That's none of your business." I spat, my knees beginning to wobble as my fatigue finally began to win me over. To my displeasure, my hold on the wall slipped and I toppled down onto my knees, the dirt under my boots dragging me a few inches down the hill. My nakama took notice immediately, but no one reached out to help me._ Not that they could anyway._

I was just able to hear someone - _multiple people actually_ - call out my name before I slipped into the dark void of unconsciousness.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

[AU: I've been writing this chapter for … about three hours straight. It is after 7 o'clock in the morning and I am tired. Not to mention I'm leaving for a camping trip as of today - this morning, which is technically now - and I wanted to get this chapter up before I left. So here it is! *blows air horns and releases streamers and balloons* I don't exactly know when I'll be done with Chapter 9, but it will be soon, so stay tuned for that. *brushes off confetti* Also, I will be doing separate one-shots and stories of 'Loving Revenge' in the future, based on fillers from the anime and even the movies. If I have time … Don't get your hopes up. I love you all! I'm really tired! Signing off - ShadowManipualtor7 '-.-']


	9. Chapter 9

**[AU: I apologize for taking so long updating this chapter, but life happened, as it always does. Damn it, Life! Can't I just have two minutes to write in peace?! *spinner* You landed on 4! … I'm getting trolled by a board game here, don't mind me. Anyways, the story continues! Arigato!]**

[This chapter was NOT revised for once! Haha!]

Fire … everywhere.

Blazing black and orange flames danced all around me, glazing atop the burning tables and climbing up the beige plaster walls. The scattered paper ignited easily, making tiny, white glowing butterflies appear, soaring gently in the air, blissfully unaware of the chaos that surrounded them. The roof began to cave in, several broken light fixtures plummeting down to the ground as the building continued to incinerate.

I stood alone on one side of the scorching room - my white long-sleeved, knee-length dress splattered with blood and smothered in ash, my hair knotted and flailing in front of my face - while my enemy held the person I loved most in a strong chokehold. Tears threatened to pour from my eyes, which had long since turned a dangerous crimson colour, but I didn't dare allow the fear to show on my features. If I were to show any sign of weakness, my enemy would most likely use it to his advantage, perhaps as a ploy to string me along into his twisted web of domination. Nevertheless, I held my ground, prepared for anything the dark-haired psychopath before me attempted to do.

"Kori …" The light-skinned man in the chokehold muttered, his voice strained from the immense pressure on his throat. The expression on his face told me that he was frightened - presumably because he could hear the icy voice of Death whisper in his ears - yet his bloodshot green eyes proclaimed worry and determination, but not for himself. I searched his sorrowful eyes for an answer, pleading for a way out of the scalding hell that surrounded us, but found no resolution.

One lone, graceful tear drifted down the victims' cheek as he spoke his very last words. "I love you, my daughter." And then, with a flick of the hunters wrist, my father was gone.

'-.-'

The overwhelming feeling of panic woke me from my slumber, my eyes snapping open as my entire body reflexively flinched. I drew in a deep breath to steady my racing heartbeat, my eyelids closing once more so I could recollect my thoughts.

_It was just a dream … Another fucking nightmare …_ I reassured myself repeatedly. I shifted my hair away from my face, wiping the faint amount of perspiration off of my forehead as I released a sad sigh. _This is why I hate falling asleep …_

"You awake?" A familiar masculine voice called out, obviously directed at me.

I reopened my eyes, only to be met with a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy marshmallow clouds. It took me a moment to realize that I was outside - _although the giant, bright ball of fire shining above me should have been my indication_ - and that I was currently laying in our boat near the shore. I rotated my neck slightly, looking for the person who had spoken, and saw that Zoro was situated at the other end of the boat, his legs sprawled out in front of him. He was shirtless, currently dabbing at the wound on his chest with a damp towel, glancing up in my direction with an undistinguishable demeanor.

"I am now." I replied in a grumpy voice as I shifted into a lounging position, my elbows propping me up against the hard wooden floor. Ignoring Zoro's humourless chuckle and soft glare, I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings again. I was correct when I first concluded that I was situated in our boat, but with closer inspection I noticed that it was still only early morning.

_Strange … I figured I'd be asleep longer than that …_

"What happened after …" I asked aloud, turning back to the green bean swordsman with a more attentive disposition. I didn't feel the need to finish my sentence for he already knew what I was going to say.

Zoro paused as he looked at me. "Well, you passed out."

"I'm aware of that part, thank you." I replied, sending him my deadly Basilisk glare in the process.

Zoro finished wiping away the blood from his torso and set the now-crimson rag aside. "Same ol', same ol'. Luffy won the fight against Kuro, Usopp saved Kaya from the hypnotist, and the scared pussies all fled." He then pulled his shirt over his head, wincing as the material touched his open wound.

"Hmmm, yeah. Typical." I responded dryly. I breathed in a sigh as I sat up, my muscles objecting automatically. I ignored the need for more sleep as my eyes began to feel heavy again, instead turning back to Zoro so I could resume our conversation. "I take it Luffy and Nami are in town or something?" I asked, finally noticing that our captain and navigator were no where to be found.

Zoro nodded. "Went to go get some things; said they'd meet us at the restaurant when we're ready." He grabbed his katanas and tied them to his belt loop. "Problem was we didn't know when you'd wake up, so one of us had to stay behind and watch your back."

I felt my nose wrinkle in annoyance. "That wasn't necessary."

Zoro shrugged, glaring at me momentarily with light anger in his eyes. "Sure."

I repressed the urge to roll my eyes as I turned away from him. _He should know that I can clearly take care of myself …_ I looked down at myself, surveying the damage that had been done during the battle. I had blood splattered all over my clothes, the worst being on my corset. My pants seemed okay, but it looked as if I had to wear a jacket today, lest I attract unwanted attention from the villagers. I'm sure they were all unaware of the hostile scene that had occurred on the North Beach only an hour previous, so I figured it would be better for them NOT to see the state that I was in. _At least Zoro managed to get the blood stains out of his shirt …_

I opened up my bag and pulled out my jacket. It was black, fitted to shape my curvy figure, and had silver grommets that hooked together in the front, going up all the way to my neck. I snuck a glance back at Zoro, who was now polishing one of his katanas in his lap, and then turned back to my bag. I hastily ripped off my arm sleeves, cautiously placing them inside my backpack so the delicate chains wouldn't clink together.

I paused to observe the cuffs that were locked on my wrists. They were tough, sturdy, molded to fit tightly, but not uncomfortably onto ones' arms. They were only about six inches long and contained a dozen or more rows of bead-sized spikes wrapping all the way around each cuff. The studs weren't too sharp, but they were a hindrance sometimes. The bands were meant to be a handicap, crafted out of Kairoseki stone, often used by the Marines to disable Devil Fruit users. However, when they locked the cuffs onto me they ignored one crucial bit of information …

My powers do not come from a Devil Fruit …

I smirked to myself, wondering briefly why strong, capable Marine soldiers were so _fucking stupid_. I slipped the jacket over my bloodied corset, latching the grommets together up to my collar bone. I pushed my bag back to it's designated corner and stood up, stretching out my sore muscles.

"Shall we go?" I said to Zoro as I cracked my knuckles.

Zoro didn't respond, remaining silent as he stood upright with his katana now hooked onto his hip. We stepped out of the boat without a word, an almost eerie peace passing between us. We had only made it up to the top of the slope before he broke the silence.

"What happened?" He asked, stopping in the middle of the path as he said this.

I glanced back at him and blinked. I knew what he was asking; there was no denying that he was confused - _or concerned, I can't tell_ - about my sudden fainting spell. I also knew that feigning ignorance wouldn't get me anywhere, so, deciding to be truthful for once, I gave him an answer. "I was tired."

His posture was stiff and his expression sour as he stared at me. "I can see that."

_Fucking sleep circles …_

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the road, prepared to continue on, with or without him. However, his insistence on pursuing the conversation further made me halt in my actions. "As far as I could see you didn't get hurt at all, not even a scratch. And you seemed perfectly fine by the time Luffy and I showed up-"

"I was tired." I repeated through my teeth, growing irritated by his curiosity.

His eyes held a look of determination, obviously telling me that he wasn't about to let this go any time soon. My nostrils released an aggravated puff of air as I went to stand in front of him, so close that I could easily bang my forehead against his chin. "We stayed up all night preparing for the attack, therefore I passed out since I hadn't slept at all."

"I think we all noticed that, now didn't we." Zoro replied sarcastically.

"Look, mister." I started, my voice practically dripping with acid. "I don't give you shit for any of the things that you do, so I'd appreciate it that you don't give me shit for any of the things that I do. Just don't dig into this one. It doesn't matter."

"You fell unconscious in the middle of our battle! How does that not matter?" Zoro responded, equally as angry as I was now.

"That was an accident. It's not going to happen again, ever." I replied firmly, nearly shouting at this point. "It was just bad timing really. I hadn't expected to pass out right then and there! I don't like to fall asleep, is that so fucking hard to understand?!"

Zoro looked like he was about to retaliate when his face softened suddenly. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What's wrong with sleeping?"

_Fuck … I missed a glorious opportunity to shut my goddamn mouth_. I'm sure my surprised expression gave me away, so I hastily covered it up with a vague response. "Nothing. Everything." I blinked. _Probably not the best choice of words, but whatever._ I was about to turn back around in a dramatic leave when Zoro grabbed me by the shoulder, earning my attention once more.

"If you're not going to tell me, then just make sure you don't pass out like that again. That way I won't have to save your ass next time."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you worried about my well-being, marimo?"

Zoro's eyes widened and he let go of my shoulder as he walked around me on the road. His cheeks had flushed scarlet, whether because he was embarrassed that I had accused him of worrying or upset that I had called him an offensive name I couldn't tell. He scratched the back of his neck as he walked, muttering a quiet "As if" to himself when he thought I was out of hearing range.

I followed shortly after him on the road, leaving some distance between us so we wouldn't argue again. I began thinking about what he had said - and what I had said, for that matter - and simply dismissed it as something typical. _I mean, it was normal for nakama to be concerned about each other, so Zoro was just looking out for me, just like he does for Nami or Luffy or even Usopp. However, him being a pompous ass about the whole thing was not what I considered friendly behaviour_. Nevertheless, I muttered a phrase to him that I didn't use too often.

"Thank you." I said rather quietly, honestly hoping he hadn't heard it at all. I don't even know why I had given him my thanks, but it just felt like something I needed to do.

He didn't show any signs of having heard me, but my instinct told me that he had. We proceeded with our walk in absolute silence, the only sound being that of crunching gravel underneath our boots.

'-.-'

We made another visit to the town's local restaurant to grab some food before we headed back to sea. We ate in considerable peace for the most part, our conversations mainly focusing on the topics of our recent battle, whether or not apple cores were edible, and, of course, the need for a ship and more supplies. We were all just about finished with our lunch, each of our respective plates empty with a few scruffs of food dotting the white china and our tankards empty of ale.

Luffy was picking a shard of fishbone out of the back of his throat, his Devil Fruit giving him the ability to stretch his hand all the way down his esophagus. He finally managed to pull it out, dropping it on the plate afterwards. "Whew! I got it out!"

"Hmmm. You need to work on your fishbone-eating technique." Zoro commented, apparently not impressed.

Nami held up the picked-clean fishbone that rested on her plate. "I've got news for you two: normal people don't eat this part."

I swallowed my last mouthful of rum and glanced sideways at Nami. "Since when are they classified as 'normal people'?" Nami didn't respond, shrugging and shaking her head in agreement.

"The food's gone. Shall we go?" Zoro asked, using his tongue to pick something out of his teeth in the process.

"I guess." Luffy responded.

Just as we were about to get up and leave, the bell to the restaurant chimed, signaling the entrance of another customer; but the person in particular happened to be Miss Kaya, up and walking on her own two feet. "I found you!" She said happily as she made her way over to our table.

"Hi, Miss Kaya!" Luffy responded just as kindly.

"Shouldn't you be recuperating?" Nami asked.

Kaya shook her head. "I'll be fine. My illness for the past year was caused by the shock and sadness of losing both my parents." _Yeah, it's called Depression …_ "Usopp brought my spirits up, but I can't depend on others forever. Anyways, you three need a ship. Isn't that right?" She smiled.

"Are you gonna' give us a ship?!" Luffy exclaimed, clearly ecstatic.

I smiled inwardly. _Sugoi …_

'-.-'

"WOW!" Luffy exclaimed again.

"A Caravel!" Nami said, appraising the new ship with awe.

It wasn't very large, but I imagined that it was perfect in Luffy's standards. The head of the ship adorned a ram's head and blank sails, the upper trim of the wood painted white, particularly on the banisters and rails. A small crow's nest ranked highest on the vessel and it held what looked to be a galley near the rear of the ship.

Merry - _a servant lamb-man who worked for Kaya back at her mansion on the hill_ - straightened his bowtie as he gestured toward the ship in question. "Behold! She's not the newest model, but I designed her myself. She's a Caravel, with a jib and a central stern rudder. I present to you the Going Merry! Are you the ones who helped Usopp chase away the Black Cat Pirates?" He paused, his eyes taking in every detail of our profiles. "I thought you'd all be taller …"

I felt a vein pop on my forehead. _Well that irked me …_

"You're really going to give us this ship?" Luffy asked, looking from Kaya to Merry.

"Yes, please take it." Kaya responded with a slight bow.

"I'll explain the rigging." Merry continued, smiling at Luffy and Zoro as he did so. "First, regarding the adjustment of the yard with clew garnet …" Zoro looked away from the butler, gazing up at the boat in a blasé fashion, and Luffy's eyes seemed to glaze over with every word Merry was saying.

Nami sighed. "You're wasting your breath with those two. Talk to me."

I snorted. "Good idea."

Luffy's eyes refocused and returned once again to our new vessel. "What a great ship!"

"It certainly is impressive." Zoro mused.

"Agreed." I responded. "Now I can train in peace."

I could see Zoro glance at me from my peripheral vision. "You train?"

Another vein popped on my forehead. "Unless you want to end up as my new punching bag, don't give me that look." I hated it when people gave me weird looks, whether because of the way I dressed or because I was a lot stronger than they gave me credit for. _I blame the height issue for the latter._

Zoro smirked. "Is that a threat?"

I smirked back at him teasingly. "Precisely, green bean."

His smile faltered for a moment, but came right back when he responded. "You're on, shrimp."

_Oh, it is so on …_

"I've stocked it with everything you might need at sea." Kaya said to the others, clasping her hands together sweetly in front of her.

"Arigato! You're sure adding insult to injury, Miss Kaya!" Luffy replied with an enthusiastic chuckle.

Zoro openly face palmed. "Try 'adding icing to the cake', baka."

Before anyone could utter another word, a very high-pitch male scream sliced through the morning air. We all turned and saw none other than Usopp, wearing an overly-stuffed backpack, rolling down the slope in front of us. It appeared that he wouldn't be able to stop on his own, given the speed that he was going, and to the fact that he was as thin as a stick.

"It's Usopp!" Kaya said, deciding to point out the obvious.

"What's he up to now?" Luffy asked aloud.

Zoro shrugged in response. "We should stop him. He might damage our ship."

Just before Usopp could collide with the Going Merry, Luffy and Zoro stood in front of his rolling figure in a defensive stance. They each raised one foot in unison and held it out, ready to stop the tanned boy from crashing into them. It seemed to do the trick, for Usopp had come to a complete stop at the last second, the pirates' feet crammed ungracefully into the liar's face.

Usopp muttered something before Luffy and Zoro removed their shoes from his mouth. The lad in question slumped down face first into the sand after he was released, his arms sliding out of the backpack's straps as he did so. He picked himself back up a moment later, two red oval marks now tattooed onto his cheeks. "Thanks."

'-.-'

"So, Usopp, you really are going off to sea?" Kaya asked the lad in question, looking a bit sad because of his departure.

By this time Usopp had explained to us that he was now going to depart from his home town and become a pirate just like his great father. He had pulled up a small boat that was relatively the same size as the ones we showed up in and placed his large backpack into it, making sure that it didn't topple over in the process. Merry had also finished discussing the mechanics of the ship with Nami, so we were all ready to ship off on our new vessel. We had managed to grab our stuff - _Nami just had to have her treasure_ - and then boarded the ship, each of us leaning over the railing as we watched Usopp converse with Kaya.

He nodded. "I am. I have to act before my resolve weakens. Don't try to stop me."

Kaya smiled. "I won't. I had a feeling this would happen."

Usopp's proud demeanor deflated a little bit. "Oh … Well, you couldn't stop me, anyway." He gave her a radiant, teeth-flashing smile. "When I come back, I'll have even taller tales to tell you, only they'll be true!"

Kaya giggled and bowed. "Good. I'll look forward to it."

Usopp then turned to look up at us, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. "You guys take care. See you around."

"Why?" Luffy asked, obviously confused as he looked down at the sniper with his rubbery arms dangling over the railing.

"Huh? Why? That's not very friendly. Since we're all pirates, we might cross paths someday-"

"Stop babbling and get on board." Zoro interrupted with a firm, almost brotherly-stern tone.

Usopp didn't seem to understand his request, however. "Huh?"

"We're a team, aren't we?" Luffy said, and I could practically see the childlike smile blooming across his face even without looking at him.

Disbelief first crossed the young man's face, then it changed to happiness, then to complete and utter chaos as he jumped high in the air with his fists pounding above his head. He was so ecstatic that for a brief moment I thought he was going to crap himself. _Thank goodness he didn't_. "YEAH! Can I be the Captain?!" Usopp screeched delightedly as he attempted to drag his bag across the sand to our ship.

"NO WAY!" Luffy yelled back. "I'm the Captain!"

'-.-'

After Zoro and Luffy had managed to haul Usopp's heavy-ass backpack onto the ship - _it's valuables including certain materials that we actually needed on the ship, so it wasn't a huge waste of time_ - our five person crew sailed away from Syrup Village and into the high noon horizon. As soon as the ship was half a mile out into sea, Luffy brought up several large barrels containing ale out onto the deck, along with several tankards. Seeing where this was going, I grabbed a pitcher and, once the others had cracked open the tops, filled it to the brim with sweet, tangy alcohol. The five of us all held our glasses, each brimming with amber-coloured liquid, and clinked them together as Luffy made his toast.

"Here's to a new ship and new friends!"

After we had all finished our hurrah's, cheerios, and how-do-you-do's - _you see what I did there?_ - we all took off to different parts of the ship, each exploring it's hidden locations for ourselves. At the moment I didn't quite care where everyone else had gone to because I was too busy finding a room for myself below deck.

I had stumbled upon the men's room already, but decided that, even though I wasn't opposed to bunking with the boys, it would be more beneficial that I find a room separate from the males of the crew. I wasn't worried about what they could possibly do or see - _I'm not exactly shy in that department, nor prude for that matter_ - but more to the fact that they are all healthy adult males who need their space. Knowing that, my second option was to bunk with Nami, seeing as how both of us being girls it wouldn't be unusual if the two of us shared a room. However, when she showed me where her room was and what it looked like, I immediately said "Nope!" and headed back upstairs without looking back. _There was absolutely no way I could sleep in a room with that much fluff and frills decorated everywhere_. Nami didn't seem to mind, however, which worked out fantastically for me.

But upon my third voyage down below the decks of the Going Merry, I discovered another bedroom, clearly adjoined to the men's quarters from where it was located, that remained unoccupied. I hopped down the ladder and saw that the room resembled the boys' room, only it was a bit smaller. On the left side of the room was a green loveseat with an end table and a mirror hanging above it. On the right side was a double-layered cot with a large beige cabinet huddled in the corner, a soft, faux fur, dusk red carpet occupying most of the floor. Two light fixtures were hung from the ceiling and an L-shaped hammock pole connected from the ceiling to the wall just above the cots. It wasn't spectacular, but it was cozy enough for me.

I tossed my bag onto the carpet and sat on the cot, analyzing my surroundings around me. _I can make this work until I return home_, I mused to myself silently. I sighed at the lonely thought, pinching the bridge of nose between my fingers. _If I ever decide to leave. Shit, I'm waist deep in this bloody crew now._

I groaned and slumped over onto the bed, kicking off my shoes as my mind went on autopilot. My eyes drooped shut, the need for sleep beginning to overtake my brain again. My entire body curled up into a ball as I cuddled a pillow closer to me, much to the protest of my conscience. Nevertheless, I could feel my entire being relax as my mind drifted into it's own dream world for the next nineteen hours.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**One-shots:**

**Loving Inebriation**

**Loving Secrets**

[AU: So now they've got the ship! In the next chapter the Straw Hats will be meeting the little man in the box! Will our heroes make it to the island, or will one of them perish?! Mwhahahahahaha! … Just kidding. After chapter 9 - which is technically a filler … however, it was in the manga, so perhaps not - they'll be sailing to the … well, you know where already.]

[Regarding to the actual format of this chapter I don't quite like how I jumped around from one place to another so suddenly, but it's late - 2 am by the time this gets updated - and I'm too lazy to go back rewrite the chapter. Also, I don't know why I felt the need to describe Kori's room in detail, I just figured it was natural. But as you can see she now has a place among the crew. And Kori and Zoro had their first heart-to-heart moment: a fight! Can you feel the romance blooming now? (All because of a fight? Are you sure, Shadow-san?) Of course I'm sure! I'm the author, aren't I? (…) Away with thee, peasant! Go forth and review thy chapter or I shall have your head!]

[ … I really don't think threatening my readers is going to win me any points (or reviews) on here … Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	10. Chapter 10

Hiatus

This isn't the first hiatus I've posted on my stories … and I'm sorry that all you're seeing right now is a 'hiatus' instead of an actual chapter. I am incredibly sorry about this, I really am.

I'm not going to sugar coat anything (like I had with my last hiatus warning for my other stories) so I'm just going to straight up tell you why there is going to be a hiatus. Now OBVIOUSLY I won't be posting more chapters for a while, that's the whole point of telling you this. There are a lot of things I need to reorganize in my life right now and because of that I've been distracted from writing. I literally have a list of things I need to do before I can have my fun to write fanfictions. Hell, I need to get these things done before I can even watch the next episode of Supernatural (and for all my Supernatural fan-nerds out there reading this, you know life is tough when you have to pause on that glorious creation).

So, because of this bullshit thing called Life getting in the way of my fun, I will not be updating stories for a while. I will, however, continue to write the chapters to, you know, keep the story going on my computer so I don't completely forget about it, but it just won't be uploaded until I've gotten my shit together.

And that is all, my dear sweet lovelies. Things on my end will quiet for the next few weeks or so, but I hope you enjoy yourselves!

Thank you for your patience and dedication to reading this (I hope) and I will update again soon!

Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-'


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